College Life 101
by Shades of Crimson
Summary: Bulma comes up with a foolproof plan to get away from home and begin her college years a little early. Once she gets to her new university, she endures all the cliches of college life. As well as a new group of rather interesting friends. BV GCC KJ LT.
1. Chapter 1

-------------------------------------------------------

Prologue

-------------------------------------------------------

Why did it have to be so fucking hot?

She flipped her ropes of aqua hair over her head as she pulled the strands into a pony tail. When she was standing back up, wobbling slightly do to the rush of blood to her skull, she took the time to pull a few shorter strands out to frame her face and mumble a few curses directed towards the weather under her breath.

Leaning against the rail of her balcony she switch the phone to her other ear and impatiently bit down on the inside of her left cheek, her lips shifting into a tight scowl as she did so.

The phone against her ear only continued to ring until she angrily flipped it shut. Taking this time to switch her stream of curses from the humidity to her boyfriend.

She released her swollen cheek from her molars and glared ahead at the setting sun.

Soon to be _ex-_boyfriend - mind you.

The sky, in the midst of the sticky heat and humidity, opened up and a downpour showered the ground below.

The aqua-haired teen on the balcony took this time to glare at the sky above. Only here could she stand in the midst of a torrential rainstorm and feel the fever of precipitation coating her skin.

Watching as a silver vein cracked the nimble sky ahead and feeling the after cry rumble and slightly shake her balcony railing, she opted to seek refuge inside the air-conditioned shelter of her room.

Stepping onto the plush carpet, the aqua haired teen quickly peeled off her drenched shirt and tossed it on the floor. She had almost forgotten about the small cellular phone grasped protectively in her arm until it began to vibrate against her sticky palm.

Cursing the song that rung happily from it, she opened it up - already angered by the sound of her boyfriend's favorite song.

"What?" She snapped, not bothering to hide the fact that she was perturbed with him. For Bulma Briefs was not one to play games nor be trifled with. She didn't hide her emotions behind some undetectable mask and she surely wasn't one to hide the fact that she was upset for the sake of others.

No. Bulma Briefs was selfish. And if she was pissed, whoever she was angry with was bound to know why.

"Bulma, baby." The masculine voice rolled smoothly, leisurely on the other end of the phone.

Her left eyebrow twitched with anger at the sound of his nonchalant voice. It was as if he had done nothing wrong.

"Allen, you fucking prick, don't act like you don't know I'm pissed at you." The girl began, almost calmly, her perfectly plucked brow falling back into place after a few deep breaths, "I told Katrina I was mad, and you know as well as I do that she couldn't keep her big mouth shut for a second. So, now that we're done pretending that everything is fine - I think it's time you confess."

"Confess? Confess what Bulma?" The boy on the phone released a frustrated sigh. So what? He knew that he screwed up, but he didn't understand why he had to physically _tell _Bulma that he was a useless pig if she had already found it out for herself.

"Okay Allen - here's the deal. I go away with my family for a few days to move my brother into his dorm and when I come back all I hear about is how you kissed Lauren Watson at John's party Saturday night." Bulma took a moment to breath and then she frowned, not really taking into consideration that her boyfriend wasn't exactly able to see the perturbed expression crossing her face at the moment.

"So you're pissed - I get it." Allen commented after listening to his girlfriend's angry voice spell out to him what exactly he had done wrong. "We've been through this before - I'm sorry babe. Will you forgive me?"

"No Allen." She quickly retorted. It was such a snap that he visibly flinched. There was no way in hell that she was going to forgive the prick for making her look like an idiot while she was away.

Truth be told, she wasn't sure what bothered her more - the fact that he had cheated on her, or the fact that she was more upset that he had ruined her reputation than the fact that he had cheated on her.

He was silent on the other end of the phone. Had he known that she wasn't going to forgive and forget like his girlfriends in the past had - he definitely wouldn't have cheated on her. What kind of guy was stupid enough to give up Bulma Briefs? Not only the richest, smartest, and most popular girl at Plaramount High - but the hottest to boot!

"Look Allen, we're done." The thunder rumbled in the background as the rain beat against the glass of her window pane, "So, whatever, bye."

Shutting her phone before giving him time to reply, Bulma leaned against her bed and shut her eyes. The rain and the heat and her idiot ex-boyfriend and the idea that school would be starting in less than a week and her now ruined reputation all adding up and causing her vision to blur slightly. Not because of the tears - Bulma was far to callous to allow something like that make her _cry_, but because of stress.

She was so stressed the thought of never returning to her stupid high school seemed quite pleasing to her.

Her door swung open and she growled beneath her breath, not wanting to deal with her prying mother at the moment.

"Well don't you look as terrible as ever."

At the sound of the familiar, masculine voice Bulma sat up in her bed and cast an unamused glance at the man standing in her doorway.

She frowned simply at him, not bothering that she was only in her blue jeans and bra, "What the hell are you doing here? Didn't we just drive three hours to move all your crap in your dorm to keep you there?"

He feigned a hurt expression and smiled, "Aw, c'mon sis, you miss me that much already?"

Laughing lightly she leaned back against the door and awaited his real response.

With a simple shrug he replied, "I forgot some of my stuff. And since classes don't start until next week anyway, I thought I would stay for dinner."

She tilted her head to the side slightly and allowed a mocking smile to cross her features, "You still haven't made any friends, have you Tien?"

The bald man rolled his eyes at his younger sister, "Haha. I have friends Bulma." Looking around the room he frowned, "Dumped that jerky excuse of a boyfriend yet?"

Rolling her cerulean eyes she leaned her head back to avoid his piercing gaze, "Just got off the phone with him."

"I'll take that as a no then."

Not bothering to look over at him to see the soon-to-be pleased expression on his face she mumbled, "Actually, it's a yes."

"Good." He stated simply, smiling as he turned from her doorframe, "See you at dinner."

"Yeah." She muttered as she listened to her door smack against the wooden frame as the rain outside came to a halt and silence encompassed the humid air outside her room.

* * *

"Mom, Dad."

The couple in question turned their attention to the grinning girl in front of them.

Tien simply look up at his, now dressed, sister while chewing quietly on his dinner. She had a smile that told him that she was up to something but he really couldn't have cared less as to what it was.

"Yes dear?" Their father questioned his daughter adoringly. How could he not be proud of his legacy? Bulma was a genius and showed much interest in science and mathematics. While his son studied business at State to help run the family business, he knew with pride that his daughter would be the one to engineer the products and inventions to come.

"I have a proposition for you."

Her mother merely blinked as her daughter continued.

"I was thinking, and you know how pointless going to high school is for me and everything- I mean, I'm a genius and easily the valedictorian of my class. I begged you guys to allow me to stay for social reasons and all - but now I realize that college has just as many social advantages as high school." She continued to grin, "Not to mention that I'll have the chance to not only mature but to be challenged academically for a change."

Her father smiled with a short nod, "Yes Bulma, you are very smart and will easily be accepted to any University that you chose. However,"

It was her mother that sent a frown in her direction, "However," she stated simply, "We don't feel comfortable sending you across the country. You're only seventeen after all dear."

Bulma nodded, almost ecstatically. Tien frowned, as if that had been exactly what she had expected them to say.

"Yes." She grinned, flipping a lock of aqua hair behind her ear and then using her finger to point towards her family seated around the dining room table, "But what if I went to a University not too far - a University where I would have some family close by to make sure I was safe and stuff - then wouldn't that be alright?"

"Well," Mr. Briefs said, turning to his wife with a small shrug, "I don't see any harm in that. We just don't want you rushing through life is all dear."

Brushing away the thought with her hand Bulma smiled, "No dad, I'll be fine. College will give me all kinds of opportunities to meet new people. But I know how I'll have the security of being close to someone who will make both of you guys feel comfortable about having me away."

She couldn't suppress the grin as she continued to break the news to her expectant family.

"I just got off the phone with the dean of Tien's school. He said that they would be happy to make an exception for me to extend the registration date. It would be an honor to admit the infamous Bulma Briefs." She giggled slightly at her quote, "He said that he would process my transcript and, ahum, perfect SAT score, and I wouldn't have a problem being accepted."

Tien spit his drink out and blinked at his sister in disbelief.

"No … no way. I am_ not _playing babysitter for _her _all semester!"

Mrs. Briefs smiled at her husband and he nodded back, the pair completely ignoring the protest of their son.

"Well Bulma, I must say, it's a wonderful plan. I think spending some time with your brother and working towards your degree at the same time is a great idea."

"Yeah," his wife chirped in, "And then we could come down and visit the both of you!"

"Wha - but - No!" Tien pleaded, his eyes shifting in astonishment from his sister to his parents.

Bulma ignored her brother's pleas as she smiled, "Well thanks daddy. I'll start packing my stuff." She couldn't suppress her grin at her brother's reaction of her next statement. "I can just ride down to State with Tien in the morning."

He glared at her and she shrugged, her eyes promising him that she would explain more in the morning.

With a defeated sigh he chewed the remainder of his dinner in silence as he listened to his family chatter excitedly about Bulma's new venture into adulthood.

Outside a deluge erupted from the silent sky and the steady pattering of raindrops could be heard echoing against the bustling dining room of the Brief's mansion.


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter is definitely going out to my beta, CeltiCrimson. Thanks Qi - you are the best!!

* * *

Getting Settled

* * *

"Don't you want to go to Harvard or Princeton or Yale or something?" 

The aqua haired teen continued to stare fixatedly out of the passenger window with a content smile as she listened to her brother question her, his tone of voice clearly annoyed.

The pair had left that morning in Tien's SUV. The SUV was now filled with not only his own two forgotten boxes, but with Bulma's entire wardrobe, room decorations and miscellaneous boxes as well, bursting to the seams from the immense amount.

Her cerulean eyes snapped towards her brother and she sighed lightly, "Look, I'm sorry, Tien, but I don't want to go back to high school. Everything there is so frivolous and my 'friends' are so … Ugh. You don't blame me, do you?"

His only response was silence.

She rolled her eyes, "I'm not going to bother you. You can drop me off and we'll go our separate ways. No one will even know that I'm your sister."

"Mom and dad want me to keep an eye on you." He mumbled as he changed lanes.

She cracked a small smile and then straightened her beautiful features into a calm expression, "Oh come on, Tien; I don't need a babysitter."

He nodded lightly, knowing she was right. She was a genius and he knew that she was capable of fending for herself.

"I'll stay out of your way. Besides, I'm going to be studying often so that I can transfer to an Ivy League school next semester." She smiled at her plan, "Just tell mom how good I'm doing and I'll tell her how great you are at checking up on me and making sure I'm staying out of trouble."

With a small nod he agreed that her plan would work just fine and his sophomore year would not be ruined by the presence of his annoying younger sister.

Exiting the highway the brother-sister pair waited anxiously as Tien pulled into one of the large, multi-storied parking garages and scanned his parking pass into the slot. Once the gates rose, Tien parked his SUV into the first available space while Bulma glanced down at the pamphlet in her hand.

"Well, I've got to check-in in about half an hour and then I'll get my dorm assignment."

Tien nodded as he unbuckled his seatbelt and smiled at his sister, "Need any help moving your stuff in?"

Bulma shook her head, her long aqua locks spilling across her shoulders as she did so, "Nope. You're on your own."

He laughed lightly with a short nod, "Alright then. Call me when you get settled in and we'll grab some lunch."

"Aw." Bulma placed her hands against her heart as the pair exited the car, "You do like me, huh, Tien?"

With a small shrug he rolled his eyes, "After lunch we won't have to cross paths again."

"Kay." She winked at him before shifting her Coach purse from one shoulder to the other nervously, "Sounds good."

He smiled at his sister and watched as she headed in the opposite direction of the administration building. With a small sigh he started towards her, "Bulma."

She turned around and shot him a confused and expectant look.

A small chuckle escaped his lips as he pointed down the road in the opposite direction she was headed, "It's this way."

With a small blush the teen backtracked and followed her older brother towards the opposite direction, trudging slowly behind him and silently cursing the fact that she knew that from then on she would secretly be depending on him.

* * *

Setting the final box on the bed, the taller man turned to his younger sister and grinned. 

She frowned back at him as she placed her new bed-in-a-bag on the bare mattress in the room.

"Thanks Tien for moving all my boxes up to my dorm room." She said lightly as she sat on the edge of her bed, the plastic covering crackling under her jeans as she did so.

He looked around the room, opening his mouth to offer helping her unpack when his cellular phone began to ring from his pockets.

Quickly answering the phone with a quick 'hello,' Tien listened for a moment as the person on the other end talked.

Bulma continued to sit on the edge of her new bed, watching with mild interest as her brother removed his forest-green ball cap, donning the university logo centered on the front, to reveal his bald head which he rubbed lightly while answering the mystery person on the other line with a short 'yes'.

Slipping the phone into his pocket, Tien turned his attention back to his sister. Watching as she continued to sit on the edge of her bed with a curious smile, he sighed.

Brushing a few strands of aqua hair away from her face, she allowed the smile to encompass her features.

Tien frowned lightly at his beautiful sister. He had to admit that she was rather striking and it would be hard to watch her date college guys. He would probably go 'I'm-her-big-brother-and-I'll-break-your-neck-if-you-break-her-heart' on them if he didn't watch himself.

He wore back his dark-green hat and smiled at her, "Well, I'm going to go meet some of my friends."

She nodded absently as she stood up and embraced him in a short hug.

"Thanks, Tien." She said as she pulled away and moved to begin unpacking some of her boxes.

The bald man left the room and sighed as he began walking down the hall, frowning slightly as he exited the building and crossed a small field littered with groups of students sprawled out on the grass or playing Frisbee. Across the field he found himself in his own hall and the corners of his mouth fell even more, he wasn't sure what he thought of being just a building away from his sister.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Bulma had already unpacked two of her boxes and neatly made her bed. She smiled and placed a few navy throw pillows over her lush, lavender pillowcase and straightened out the base of her twin comforter.

As the telltale sound of a key being slotted into a keyhole was heard, Bulma quickly placed another box on her bed and began to unpack it - trying her best to make herself look busy.

When the door swung open, Bulma's cerulean eyes flew curiously to the woman who entered the room.

There in the doorway stood a tall, thin, and very beautiful woman. She had perfectly straight blonde hair that fell just above her shoulders and she carried a messenger bag with iron-on patches of various indie-girl bands. Donning a grey tank top as well as a pair of slightly wrinkled khaki pants, the woman didn't bother to hide her perturbed expression upon seeing Bulma, who stood before the once empty bed lying parallel to her own.

Bulma found the woman before her altogether intimidating. From her lean musculature to her tasseled grey bag thrown over one shoulder - her persona reigned 'don't-mess-with-me.'

"Hey." Bulma said while placing her best attempt at a smile across her features.

She was immediately shot a jaded glance as her nameless roommate tossed her bag on her unmade bed.

"They told me I had the room to myself."

Bulma blinked at the woman's monotonous voice and aloof manner. She frowned.

"Sorry. I was a late applicant and this was one of the only rooms available."

The blonde woman shrugged as she tucked a stray strand of platinum hair behind her ear, "Whatever."

With that, she kicked off her brown pumas and entered the bathroom with a quick slam of the heavy metal door.

Bulma simply blinked as she was left alone in the room - confused and unsettled by her run-in with her unfriendly roommate - and she continued to unpack her last few boxes in stunned silence.

At least she now had a face to go with the pile of feminist novels stacked on the nightstand opposite her own and the Le Tigre poster hanging over the unkempt bed beside her own neatly made one.

* * *

Half an hour later, the blonde woman was sliding into a corner booth at her local hangout, her face still donning the very same perturbed expression she had acquired upon finding out that she would now be sharing her space with another female. This being after having spent the last few days in joyous bliss thinking it was to be her own. 

The booth was in the crowded and over-decorated coffee shop called Kami's Lookout, shortened to "The Lookout" by the local college students who hung out there.

The Lookout was located on a strip just north of campus. Amongst a row of various bars, dance clubs, a few university spirited shops, a pizza place, a Sushi bar, the coffee bar owned by Kami was the most popular spot. It was located above the pizza joint, through a narrow set of stairs and was high enough to give customers a nice view over much of the acreage of the university campus.

The group of teens crowded around the circular corner booth had deemed this their hangout and this very booth 'their spot.'

A petite Asian woman frowned at the blonde haired woman's expression as she watched her friend carelessly toss her messenger bag to the floor.

"What's wrong, Juu?" She questioned, her dark hair swinging in its ponytail as she tilted her head to gaze questioningly at her friend.

The blonde haired woman frowned as leaned back into the booth and answered the dark haired woman with a small grunt.

"I got a roommate. That's what's wrong, Chi."

A small woman, with hair the color of navy, sitting at the booth frowned after hearing the news, "I thought you were alone this semester?"

"Yeah," The blonde rolled her eyes in annoyance, "So did I."

With a frown, Tien listened as his friends discussed how unfair it was that Juu would have to be rooming with some stranger now. He nodded in agreement with them, but he couldn't help but hide the dread building up in the pit of his stomach, knowing exactly who they had paired Juu up with at the last minute.

Around the booth the seven teens continued to talk and sip coffee.

Juu, who had been labeled a bitter feminist by most, sat beside Launch who was the exact opposite of the blonde haired woman. Launch had long since bought into gender roles and played the ditzy cheerleader who was entering into her second year of college, still undecided on her major as well as whether or not she would be attending her classes this semester. To her left sat Tien, and across from him sat his own roommate, Vegeta, who was a balance of unsocial qualities and arrogance. Those…among other things.

Beside Vegeta sat Goku, who was president of the student body due to his outgoing personality and overabundance of friendliness. He had his hand strewn casually around the petite Asian woman named ChiChi, and she swore that his presidency also had a lot to do with his good looks and athletic ability; for he was quarterback of the University's football team.

Beside her sat the final member of their clique, the goofy, short man named Krillin. While the other three males in the group were there on football scholarship, Krillin was a music major who played the cymbals in the marching band.

The group sat in their booth for nearly an hour - just talking and laughing until they went their separate ways into their dorms.Roomies and best friends ChiChi and Launch were living, purposefully, in the same coed-by-floor dorm as roommates Krillin and Goku- while Vegeta and Tien lived across the campus, on the south side right across from Juu and her new roommate, whom she cursed silently under her breath.

* * *

Leaning casually against her wall, her slender, khaki clad legs hanging over her bed, Juu was concentrating on The Feminine Mystique in her hand as her roommate lay on the bed parallel to her own, sleepily watching MTV. 

The pair had remained silent since Juu's arrival and had only made eye contact when necessary.

Bulma frowned as she propped up her chin with her palm and rested her elbow against her bed, thinking that this was going to be a rather long semester if they continued to ignore one another like this.

A knock on the door caused both women to look up and Bulma frowned as she got to her feet, "I'll get it."

Juu had already turned her attention back to the book at hand, but her eyebrow twitched in annoyance as a pair of high-pitched voices rang with excitement at her doorway.

"Hey y'all!" The blonde girl said, smiling ecstatically as she pointed to her hot pink shirt donning three Greek symbols on it.

The brunette at her side, wearing the same shirt, smiled as well, "As you both know it's rush week and -"

Bulma frowned at the pair, "Uhm, let me save you some wasted breath and tell you that we're not interested."

"Aw." The brunette began, feigning a hurt expression, "You have to give us a chance to explain all the benefits of joining a sorority. C'mon - at least give it a shot."

Crossing her arms, the aqua haired teen's frown deepened, "No thanks. I'm not really interested in paying for my friends."

"You're missing an opportunity to-"

"I may be a freshman here, but I'm not exactly some dense pretty face for you to manipulate. As a matter of fact, I would rather be a geek then Greek - you get an education that way, not just STDs and academic probation." Bulma cut her off with a slam of the door and plopped back onto her bed.

Glancing up from her book, Juu shot Bulma a curious expression.

"I guess I had you pegged all wrong." The blonde began, setting down the novel and smirking at her roommate with a newfound interest, "Names Juu."

Bulma's lips tugged subconsciously into a small half smile - as if it were some perverted form of honor to earn the respect of her bitch of a roommate.

"Bulma." She replied, as casually as one could muster.

With a short nod the blonde woman picked her book back up, "Hey Bulma, would you like to go to a party with me and some friends tonight?"

Resting her chin on her hand Bulma tried to hide the excitement that crossed her face as she focused her attention back on the television placed in viewing distance of the two beds.

"Sure, that sounds great."

* * *

Tien blinked. 

Once.

Twice.

Yes. He was seeing things clearly. Juu had just walked through the door with a smile - and was chatting to his blue haired sister nonetheless!

Bulma laughed at something the blonde had said, which Tien found odd since nothing Juu ever said was even remotely funny, and his sister slipped off towards the bathroom.

Walking up to the group, Juu sat down at the table and watched as her friends sat around the table each with Keystones at hand, each casting her blank stares.

"Who was that?" ChiChi questioned as she watched the blonde slide into an empty chair.

"My new roommate."

At the blonde's monotone response, Launch shifted her jaw thoughtfully, "What happened to you being super pissed about her?"

The girl in question shrugged lightly and opened the can of cheep beer that was handed to her by the short black haired Krillin.

"Eh, I kind of like her now. So what?"

The group remained silent as Juu sipped her beer with a nonchalant expression.

"So, anyway," The petite Asian woman said, her attention shifting back to her boyfriend, "Like I was saying -"

* * *

Exiting the bathroom, Bulma nervously stepped out into the crowd of intoxicated college students, her cerulean eyes darting around the room to find Juu who had said she would be "right over there." Unfortunately, the aqua-haired teen was a bit turned around in the unfamiliar house and couldn't remember in what direction 'there' was. 

With another step towards a random direction, Bulma made one quicker sweep of the room and decided that wherever Juu was she was certainly not in plain view. So with a short intake of air, the nervous woman began walking casually through the bustling living room.

She had not made it halfway to the cheap sofa when she was approached by a rather cute guy wearing a navy stripped polo and a very flirtatious grin.

Extending his hand, he offered the attractive woman before him a frothy brown liquid in a red Solo cup.

"Name's Yamcha."

Smiling coyly back at him, Bulma accepted the drink and stared at him from over the brim of it.

"Bulma." She replied.

He nodded lightly towards her with a smirk. She was definitely hot.

"Yamcha!" A tall boy with a head of bushy blonde hair called, entering the room with an excited look on his face, "We're shot gunning! Get your ass out here now."

His attention shifted from the boy who ran back outside to the beautiful woman before him, and Yamcha sent her a short nod.

"See you around, Bulma."

As soon as he had left her side, Bulma felt the presence of another male. This one however was much more familiar. And, she frowned, much more foreboding and not nearly as attractive.

"Oh - get off it, Tien."

At his sister's retort, the bald man frowned in frustration.

"Bulma, what is wrong with you?" Pointing towards the shut door as if to further his point, Tien continued, "You don't accept drinks from strangers!"

Her cerulean eyes snapped towards the man towering over her and she shrugged, "He's not a stranger, Tien. He's Yamcha."

He only responded with a fierce glare.

Setting the red plastic cup on the coffee table, Bulma allowed a sigh to escape her glossed lips.

"I thought we were going to stay out of each other's way, remember?"

"Unfortunately, it's going to be hard to stay out of each other's way now that we're a part of the same group of friends."

A blank stare encompassed Bulma's features and Tien sighed.

"Your roommate, Juu, is a good friend of mine." He began leading her towards the table surrounded by his clique, "And a member of my group of friends which, apparently, you're not a part of."

With a small blink Bulma met eyes with Juu - and then six new faces stared back at her own, ready to greet their new acquaintance.

* * *

Though at the party Bulma had got to meet the gang, she got the real 411 on everyone that night back in her dorm room with Juu, who had been unusually sociable and friendly, in her own way, of course, towards the aqua-haired woman. 

It had surprised much of her friends, but Bulma was already feeling comfortable being around her. This was considering the awkwardness of being introduced to Tien and actually going as far as shaking his extended and replying with a casual 'nice to meet you.'

"ChiChi and Goku have been dating since high school." Juu began with a frown on her face as she leaned back in her bed. Bulma sat on the bed opposite, facing the blonde haired woman, listening intently.

"Yeah - I think it was like Freshman or Sophomore year or something like that," with a borderline thoughtful expression, the blonde woman shrugged, "Anyway, they're so close and affectionate - enough to make you sick - seriously. So when we hang out try not to pay too much attention to them. They're fine to hang out with separately, but I can only take so much of them together in group settings. They spend most of their weekends together though doing their lovey-dovey crap, so that's fortunate."

Bulma nodded, taking in her roommate's information while the blonde woman continued.

"ChiChi's an education major, she's also a study Nazi - so if you have any classes with her don't plan on attending her study parties.

Goku, on the other hand, is as dense as a pack of gum, and I'm pretty sure studying with ChiChi in high school is what helped him pass. He's majoring in Wildlife and Fisheries or some bullshit like that. I think he'll end up being a park ranger. Either way, whether being because of ChiChi or his football talents – he got accepted and became a part of our group."

With a short shrug the blonde woman sat up in her bed and turned to Bulma.

"Krillin, that's Goku's roommate, also went to college with them. I sat with him in statistics and he's probably the reason I passed. So I like him alright. He's a music major, and we have to watch the band march at halftime during the games because he plays the cymbals."

A short chuckle escaped Juu's lips, "He's how I got to know Chi and Goku."

Bulma nodded, "And what about Tien and everyone else?"

She purposefully threw her brother's name in there. She was rather curious about his friends, especially if they were to be her own this semester. They seemed like a cool group of people and she had genuinely enjoyed herself that evening.

"Well, Goku is Vegeta's cousin. They're total opposites so don't even ask me how that's possible. Vegeta's got this weird competitive disorder and I think the only reason he decided to come here was because he wanted to rival Goku on the football team or something equally as twisted."

Juu rolled her eyes, "Whatever. You probably won't get to know him real well - so I'll skip you the trouble and make it brief - he's an ass. So don't even bother with him. He's a sexist, arrogant, pig."

She shrugged it off coolly, and her monotonous voice continued.

"I roomed with Launch last semester. Thank God ChiChi was there to get her off my back. She's a cheerleader here and the epitome of one too." She frowned in annoyance, "But she's tolerable as long as we're not sharing the same space."

With a glance towards her new roommate the blonde frowned, "I guess I just expected you to be the same type and I was more than a little pissed to have to spend another semester listening to gossip about a different guy every week."

With another frown, Juu sighed, "That's another thing … she changes guys more than her underwear, I swear. They're all douche bags, too."

Bulma frowned, remembering Launch to be rather sweet and kind at the party. She made a mental note to get to know her better - Juu's judgment may have been just a bit clouded after having to live with her in the confinement of a dorm room.

"And, finally, there's Tien. Vegeta's roommate from last semester, and who knows why, but they decided to room together again this year." With a short shrug she continued, "They're friends I guess. And Tien's a pretty alright guy."

Bulma tried her best to hide her smile. Pretty alright?

"He's got a major crush on Launch though. It's pretty sad. We all know it, well, everyone but Launch. It breaks his heart every time she shows up with a new guy. I wish he would step up though, Launch needs a guy that won't cheat on her or spend every night drinking with 'the guys.'

We've even tried to set Tien up with some decent girls; they're never right for him though. Since the beginning of our first semester he's been in love with her, and no other girl will do."

Cerulean eyes blinked.

Bulma had no idea her brother was love-sick over anyone. He always seemed so carefree, so happy. However, she had never actually given much thought to her brother's love life, so she made a point to keep an eye on him.

Perhaps she could be the one to help get him and Launch together.

A smile overcame her features while her roommate picked up her book and placed it on her lap.

"Night, Bee. See you in the morning."

Looking over at her roommate, Bulma smiled, "Alright. Thanks Juu."

A thin, blonde eyebrow rose in question, but the woman simply shrugged it off. Sinking back into her quirky ways and getting lost in her feminist novel.


	3. Chapter 3

-------------------------------------------------------  
Welcome Week Part 1  
-------------------------------------------------------

Her cerulean eyes shifted uneasily from the walls of the over-decorated and dingy coffee house to the group of teens sitting casually in the corner booth she was approaching.

Earlier that day, Juu had instructed her to meet 'the gang' in this exact location at this exact time, and yet she still felt more than a little out of place.

Bulma Briefs was normally the type of girl who would take control and she never failed to speak her mind.

However, with the atmosphere so new to her and the sudden freedom, she felt more than a little overwhelmed. Not to mention that one of the many people sitting at the booth was her brother. Her brother, whom, to the knowledge of everyone else, was still a stranger to her when it came to the other teens gathered around the booth.**  
**  
"Hey, Bee." The monotone voice of her roommate called to her.

Bulma smiled, grateful for the invitation to not stand perplexedly in the strange coffee house alone, clutching her Coach bag awkwardly.

Coming up to the table, she slid as casually as she could muster into the booth to sit beside her roommate and across from the petite navy haired woman she recognized as Launch.

With a polite smile across the table, Bulma knew instantly why the woman before her had captured her brother's heart and why he was unable to free himself from her grasp.

Gods, she was gorgeous.

Bulma returned the smile and shifted her weight on her seat. Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, a robust, dark-skinned man wearing a turban quickly came up and greeted her.

His friendly handshake caused the aqua-haired woman to blink in confusion while Tien laughed.

"Bulma, this is Popo." He turned to the man who was smiling at the group of students before him, "Mr. Popo, this is our new friend, Bulma."

He laughed with a quick nod and smiled towards the beautiful woman, "I will get you our best coffee."

After he had turned around she frowned lightly and ChiChi laughed.

"He's always very excited when he gets a new customer." She explained with a smile, "He works here with Kami. They're both pretty friendly guys."

"So," the petite Asian woman began, still smiling in Bulma's direction, "How do you like State? The campus is just beautiful, isn't it? Oh!" She paused with a finger in the air, "And my Goku is in charge of Welcome Week - which starts tomorrow and marks the week before classes start. There's going to be fun things to do every night on campus. Like a movie in the yard - oh, and tonight we're having a free cookout outside the Rec with hotdogs and hamburgers and the works."

ChiChi nodded, as if she had gone through the entirety of the checklist in her mind, "Yeah. So - you in, Bulma?"

Bulma glanced around the table, all of the other students seemingly unfazed by the woman's speech. She shrugged, "Uhm, yeah, sounds great."

In truth, she would have accepted any invitation. She was more than a little grateful for ChiChi's friendliness and the offer to spend the evening getting to know her new friends.

Wrinkling up her nose, Launch frowned, "Ew. Chi - you know that I'm a vegetarian."

ChiChi's dark eyes rolled, "Yeah, yeah, vegan slut."

Launch stuck her tongue out at her friend and then went back to sipping her ice blended coffee.

"So?" ChiChi questioned, her gaze turning to Juu.

The blonde haired woman gave them an unhappy grunt, "Spending my evening eating undercooked hotdogs while sitting on the itchy grass, listening to a bunch of spirited, conformist teens blabbering is not my idea of 'fun', Chi."

The Asian woman rolled her eyes, but was not at all surprised by the blonde's gloomy response.

The man who had remained silent their entire conversation smirked deviously before the blonde haired woman, his persona reigning arrogance in such a way that Bulma couldn't help but glue her cerulean orbs to his smirking features.

"Hey - Juu." He began, his haughty smirk twitching slightly with anticipation.

Her icy blue eyes snapped in his direction with annoyance.

Vegeta only bothered to address her for one reason.

"Why can't women ski?"

Bulma blinked as the other people at the table seemed entirely immune to his non-sequitur in the conversation. They all simply ignored him with such a sense of disinterest, Launch catching her gaze and sending her a frown - as if to apologize in advance for his coming insult.

"Why, asshole?" Juu began, her icy glare narrowing by the wrinkle forming over her brow.

"Because there's no snow between the bedroom and the kitchen."

A short moment's pause.

"You're such a pompous, idiotic prick - you know that?"

"Yes. And you're a screeching, feminist bigot."

Bulma had to hide the smile that crossed her features. She didn't know Vegeta very well - or, at all, really - but she could see through his smirk and knew that he was only pestering Juu because she took everything so seriously and was easily angered. ChiChi, taking the small side-conversation as nothing short of a breather, sighed and turned her attention to the man beside the still smirking flame-haired Vegeta.

"Krillin, what do you say?"

A blush encompassed the shorter man's features as his eyes dropped to his lap nervously, "Well … uhm … actually, I-uh, I have a date."

ChiChi nearly fell out of her seat.

"What?" Launch said, her eyes snapping open in surprise. The faces among the other teens, minus Bulma, were also bearing very similar glances.

Goku laughed as he slapped his blushing roommate on the back, "Aw, Krill', why didn't you tell me?"

"It just happened today. Sorry Goku."

Bulma was the only person at the table that seemed to notice the angry look that crossed Juu's face at that moment. Even though she often wore an unpleasant glare in the midst of happiness, this one was a much more definable glare sent straight towards Krillin.

Before she had much time to question her roommate's actions, ChiChi's invitation extended to the two men on the other end of the table.

The dark haired man simply shrugged.

"Free food? Sure."

Bulma smiled subconsciously. His nonchalant reply and the crossing of his large, muscular arms –which rippled rather nicely in Bulma's opinion-, gave off the impression that his decision was only because there was nothing better to do.  
"And, Tien?"

ChiChi's question shook him out of his daze, and with a short glance across the table in Launch's direction everyone knew his answer.

"Uhm, nah, I think I'll just hang out with Launch and Juu."

The blonde haired woman's features fell into a jaded expression and she blinked, clearly displeased by the situation.

"Oh, joy."

The navy-haired woman, however, smiled giddily.

"Oh Juu! This is great! We haven't gotten to hang out in so long! We should do a girls night!" She smiled ecstatically and turned to the bald man as an apologetic smile crossed her features, "With Tien, of course."

Bulma frowned at the display as her brother blushed.

"So, Bulma, Vegeta, and Goku - we'll meet at seven at the fountain in front of the Rec."

Biting her lip, Bulma nodded lightly. She had no idea where the Rec was, nor this supposed fountain in front of it.

Vegeta slid his eyes shut, arms still crossed, and his features failing to relax as he did so.

Goku nodded animatedly, 'Sounds great, Chi!"

A steaming mug of coffee was placed in front of Bulma by a smiling Popo and she sipped it with a nod of approval.

Conversation was swayed elsewhere and Bulma spent the remainder of the afternoon sipping quietly on her coffee, listening intently to the clashing personalities of her new group of friends.

-------------------------

Shifting her weight nervously to her left leg, the aqua haired woman bit the inside of her cheek as she waited outside of the large Rec center in the midst of the bustling crowed of college students. Dotted outside the pavilion, were students who had settled into their own groups of friends on the random patches of moist, green grass.

Bulma didn't even bother to look busy; she debated pulling out her cellular phone and scrolling through some old text messages. Though that may entertain her for a few moments and cause an onlooker to falsely assume that she was not in fact bored out of her mind; she opted for standing in the grass uncomfortably, her cerulean eyes scanning the crowd for any signs of a familiar face instead.

Her friends, however, spotted her first.

Running towards her, ChiChi called her name. The woman's ebony locks were held back into a ponytail, swaying from side to side as she jogged towards her.

"Bulma!" She called again as she slowed her pace and panted slightly, taking a seat beside where Bulma had previously been standing.

Bulma smiled politely towards the woman before her, grateful for the attention the woman intentionally shed upon her and took a seat beside ChiChi.

On the walk back from the coffee shop, Juu had explained to her how ChiChi was quite bright. She knew that she had been valedictorian of her own school, just as Bulma was to be, however, ChiChi's excellence in high school and current 4.0 GPR were not to be credited on brains alone. No, ChiChi, unlike Bulma, could not go without studying and acing tests. Her knowledge was acquired, not inherited, and so she, as Juu had put, was a bit of a 'study Nazi.'

Bulma smiled as she watched two, large masculine figures approaching them.

One was almost skipping giddily in their direction, while the other was trudging beside him as if he were in no real rush to reach their destination.

Even without the tremendous height difference, it was not hard for the cerulean eyed woman to guess who was who.

As they sat down on the grass, Goku smiled and greeted her friendly.

Bulma took the opportunity to step out of her shell and make the first move with the second man.

"Hello, Vegeta."

He merely grunted in response.

Trying her best to shake it off, Bulma turned her attention back to the couple now seated comfortably beside one another.

"I met Vegeta at the common room in his dorm," Goku began, leaning casually back on the hand extended behind him, his face tilting upwards slightly, the sunlight casting it's warmth over him as he did so.

"Yeah?" ChiChi questioned, pulling her Chucky sunglasses from the top of her head to shield her eyes. With a nod, she indicated to her boyfriend that she was listening.

"Well I was waiting there all by myself for awhile and Vegeta was taking forever to come down-"

"I didn't know we were meeting one another, Kakarot." His deep voice interrupted sharply.

"It was supposed to be a nice surprise Vegeta! We haven't hung out just the two of us in a long time!" Pausing a moment to smile at his friends, Goku continued, "So, anyway, while I was waiting I noticed the commons got a new fruit bowl, so I went over to check it out.

Oh, ChiChi, you should have seen it. It has the most perfect fruit I have ever seen!" A dreamy look overcame his features and his dark eyes seemed to lighten with a starry expression. "Well, I figured it's there for everyone and so I took a bite, thinking it would be alright."

"Aw." ChiChi began, coaxingly, "Did you get in trouble sweetie?"

"Feh." Vegeta began, his large arms crossed over his muscular chest, his dark eyes shut casually as he leaned against a tree, "I come down the stairs to find this idiot biting off half of a wax pear."

A giggle escaped Bulma's throat, as she tried her best to politely hide it. Her attempts, however, were in vain, so she sat there in the aftermath with a small crimson blush staining her cheeks and the dark eyes of Vegeta staring fixatedly on her.

She frowned as they made eye contact. He was staring at her as if he had just realized that she existed. As if he had just realized that she was sitting there, listening in on the conversation.

Averting her eyes from him, she turned to find ChiChi gently placing a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek and Bulma smiled slightly. Goku's acceptance into this university was definitely credited to Chichi's study habits.

The afternoon sun shone its rays and heated the earth beneath it. Bulma crossed her legs and smiled into the warmth, her shiny locks of hair casting off the rays of sun with spurts of light.

She looked almost angelic; sitting so carefully, nodding as she listened to ChiChi's tips about getting around the campus.

Without missing a breath, the Asian woman turned her attention to the two men sitting beside them, their dark hair shining, "Goku, Vegeta, why don't you two go get some food for the four of us, hm?"

Standing up with a quick kiss on her cheek, Goku smiled and squinted against the brightness of the sun.

The other man complied, reluctantly.

"So," ChiChi continued, smiling towards the cerulean eyed woman beside her, her own dark orbs concealed behind her glinting sunglasses, "Do you like it so far?"

Knowing what her new friend was referring to, Bulma smiled, "Yes. I love the campus very much. And you guys have all been so great."

Waving her hand in the air ChiChi laughed, "Well, thanks."

"Met any boys?" ChiChi inquired, her eyebrows wiggling slightly as she did so.

Bulma laughed, ChiChi's openness and good-natured friendliness were rather refreshing qualities after being cooped up with Juu all day.

"I met a guy at the party the other night, actually." Bulma began with a shrug.

"Name?"

"Uhm, Yamcha. I didn't get a last one, though."

With a short nod, ChiChi frowned, "Yeah - I know him."

Her silence, for a first, was rather strange and Bulma laughed lightly, "And?"

"Eh, what's there to say? Frat boy, baseball player." Her face scrunched up thoughtfully, "Perhaps the best player on there, and definitely the one with the cutest butt."

Bulma felt like she was back in high school, giggling with one of her naïve friends.

"Oh? You're checking out my Yamcha, huh?"

ChiChi frowned, "Eh - he's a scumbag. One of those dude-bro types, you know?"

Bulma nodded. She knew the type.

"Besides," ChiChi's exasperated voice began, "I have Goku, and he's wonderful." A short side-glance was shot towards the grinning blue haired woman, "And who made him your Yamcha?"

Another giggle escaped Bulma's lips, "Alright, alright."

The two men approached, setting a large array of food before them. Such a large array that a pair of cerulean orbs blinked in confusion.

Turning towards her, ChiChi frowned, "These two eat like pigs, don't look so surprised. Not a bit of it will go to waste."

With a short nod, Bulma picked up a hot dog amongst the pile and bit into it.

The quartet remained quite throughout their meal and Bulma watched with mild interest as the two dark haired men scarfed down more food than she had ever before thought possible.

"Disgusting, isn't it?"

Bulma only frowned at ChiChi's rhetorical question and finished off the remainder of her hotdog.

When the pile before them had disappeared, Goku leaned back with a long stretch.

"Want to go for a walk, Chi?"

The woman in question stood up and smiled, "That sounds great. Care to join, Bee?"

Bulma, pausing slightly at her newly appointed nickname and in remembrance of her roommate's warnings about being alone with the pair, made her best attempt at a smile.

"Nah. But thanks for the offer. See you around Chi! And thanks for the food, Goku."

After the pair had departed, sudden realization dawned upon Bulma.

Perhaps it would have been better to endure the awkwardness of going on a walk with the couple rather than stay here: Alone with Vegeta.

An empty void of silence had descended upon the pair and she half expected him to get up and walk away, with no explanation and really no need to give one.

However, with her eyes shifting to her right, she found him still seated in the grass with no intention of leaving, wearing his ever jaded expression and calm frown.

She didn't think she had seen his lips fall into another position besides this very frown, that and his signature smirk.

Stuck between wanting to make polite conversation with him and getting up and leaving herself, Bulma leaned against the same tree his back was currently against and sighed deeply - basking in the feel of the summer sun tanning her flesh and turning her cheeks rosy.

Avoiding such cliché's as 'nice day, isn't it?' that would neither be appreciated nor returned by the silent man beside her, Bulma opted for the only question she could register that would sound normal for two strangers on a college campus to exchange.

"So, what are you majoring in Vegeta?"

As soon as the words rolled off her tongue she wished she could have taken them back and replaced them with a corny concentration on the weather.

He glanced over at her as if he had just realized that she was still sitting by him and his blank stare - those dark piercing eyes - bore through her. Not quite ignoring her, but not really acknowledging her either.

Staring straight ahead, Bulma found herself in an unfamiliar state of awkwardness. Normally, she was a brash person. Conceited and talkative, more than a little sure of herself, and never standing awkwardly and unsure in a crowd.

However, it seemed that as soon as she had been introduced to her roommate's, and, consequently, brother's, group of friends she fell oddly silent. Maybe she was a bit intimidated, but something stirred in the pit of her stomach, though she didn't have time to register what it was, because the man beside her replied.

"Business."

It would have been too much trouble for him to open with and "I'm majoring in-". A waste of breath, really.

Bulma frowned, but found his deep voice rather pleasing and his shortness attractive in a rather perverted form of the word, and against all the normal senses of what a woman should find as a likable quality.

She had always been attracted to guys that others would be quick to write off or label as a 'bad boy.' There was something about guys who fell a little on the darker side that made something spark in the pit of her stomach. They were a challenge to her. They were exciting and arrogant - usually with enough backing to be so, too. Also, something about a little mystery was just plain hot.

And Vegeta exuded mystery.

"Buisness, hm." She shifted her jaw thoughtfully, keeping her eyes pinned forwards, "Like in general, or do you have a plan?"

"I need a business degree to run my dad's company someday." He stated, his voice calm, but foreboding.

Bulma smirked, "Dad's company, eh?"

"Yes - Ojie Enterprise."

Her cerulean eyes grew slightly in surprise. She hadn't known his last name; otherwise the names would have clicked.

"Ojie Enterprise? The largest exporter to the middle east and the third largest corporation in the nation?" A smirk grazed her features, "They're going to let you run it?"

He glared at her and she laughed.

After realizing she was only joking about the last part, he sat up. Casting her a small side-glance, he frowned, "Now don't go all love drunk on me just because you think you could someday strike it rich."

A haughty spark danced in her eyes.

This did not go unmissed by Vegeta, who frowned slightly at her conceit.

"Feh, Vegeta, you really think I'd use you for your money?" A smile encompassed her features, "My dad happens to own his own, pretty profitable company."

He merely 'hmped' in reply.

Flipping a lock of aqua hair away behind her shoulders Bulma smiled, "Besides, what Aerospace Engineering major is here to get their MRS and settle as some trophy wife? Puh-lease." Another haughty smile, "I'm a genius, by the way."

After Bulma's speech, she couldn't help but allow the smirk to remain. Because, deep down, she knew that Bulma Briefs was back.

------------------------

He was laying with his back on his navy comforter, his phone pressed against his ear, wishing his roommate would pick up to put an end to his misery.

Tien frowned as he set his phone down, wondering what had been keeping him. He was very, very hungry and he knew that Vegeta would be up for grabbing dinner. However, he had planned on coming in their room and getting him, but when he had arrived the shorter man was nowhere in sight.

That was strange, considering how he had gone to some random Welcome Week function that afternoon with only Goku, ChiChi, and his sister.

Before he had time to ponder anymore on where they could be, the door was slung open and Vegeta entered the room, a content smirk glued on his features.

Throwing his wallet on the dresser adjacent to his own bed and tossing his key carelessly beside it, Vegeta took a seat on the bed and frowned at his roommate.

Tien, retuning the frown, sighed.

"Shitty day. You?"

Vegeta merely shrugged.

This caused Tien to blink. Yes - that clearly meant that Vegeta had had an alright time.

"Launch and Juu gossiped pretty much the whole time about fashion and guys and crap." A frown passed across his features, "And then we went shopping and got smoothies at the mall and then," he almost visibly shuttered, "We tried on shoes for like an hour and a half, only to end up not buy anything."

Vegeta leaned back on his bed, took out his laptop and stared at the screen with a shrug.

"It's really pissing me off Vegeta," Tien began, leaning back against his navy comforter and staring up at the off-white ceiling, "Launch said today that I'm 'one of the girls' now."

"Sounds like you need some pussy."

Sending a short glance over at his roommate, Tien flinched. He had never liked the expression, and the thought of being with a girl other than Launch bothered him in some unplaced way. It was as if the thought was so foreign to him that it was hard to wrap his mind around.

With a short chuckle, Vegeta shut down his computer and placed it back on his desk, "Whatever."

Standing up Tien grabbed his wallet and his keys from his bedside and placed them in his pocket along with the phone he had, previously, been clutching in his hand, "Let's go grab some food - I'm starving."

Vegeta stood up and followed Tien out of the door, his response silent, but it wasn't as if Tien needed to hear one. Vegeta was always up for food.

"So," Tien began as they were seated in the small cafeteria just outside of their dorm room, "How was your afternoon?"

The, as always, unsocial Vegeta just shrugged and allowed a simple, "Alright." before biting into his chicken sandwich.

Tien blinked as he held his own burger in his hand, clearly surprised.

There it was again. Vegeta admitting that he had an 'alright' time. For Vegeta, this was monumental.

"Vegeta …" Tien let a small smile graze his features, "What's up man? You haven't uttered a single complaint under your breath about Kakarott and his screeching harpy since you got back. Something wrong?"

With another bite from his sandwich, Vegeta shrugged, "That's because those two idiots went off about halfway through the day."

Tien blinked but allowed his bite to conceal his confusion; Vegeta's next words causing him to choke on his hamburger.

"That Bulma girl's alright."

"Vegeta." Tien began, setting down his burger, "You … can't. Not to Bulma."

A small chuckle escaped the dark man's parted lips. It was a low, rumbling laugh; as if to say he knew.

Tien, however, continued. The look of disbelief and over-protection never once faltered across his strewn features.

"I mean … she's a part of the group now." He forced a laugh, "It would be so awkward. Besides, those other girls would never let you hear the end of it. Think of it, having ChiChi, Launch, and," he frowned, "Juu on your back, constantly."

With a small shrug and another bite into his chicken sandwich, Vegeta muttered a small 'whatever' and didn't let another thought about sleeping with the blue haired beauty cross his mind.

However, the man seated across from him would not allow the idea to escape his own mind.**  
**  
His roommate had always gone through women like a pair of shoes. Not that he had a different woman every night - no, Vegeta was not a man-whore in any sense of the word. But whenever Vegeta was with a woman it was for that night, and that night only. He had made a specific point not to get attached to girls and they, in turn, had no way of getting attached to him.

The thought of his sister broken hearted after sleeping with, and in turn being ignored by, Vegeta caused a spark of emotion deep in the pit of his stomach. The emotion was something he could not define … but whatever it was, he would make a point to see that it would never happen.


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

The First Day

* * *

Balancing a stack of thick, used textbooks, Bulma attempted to maneuver her way around the university's books store without making a complete fool of herself.

She had never been a procrastinator; it was her present situation of near deadlines that caused her to purchase all of her books the evening before classes began. This theme of waiting until the last minute seemed to be a popular one for the books store was crowded with students in forest green trying to steady their Starbucks cups and stacks of books.

As if trying to maneuver her way through the narrow, crowded aisles wasn't bad enough, when she had finally collected all of her books she had to wait in line. And when she had finally made her way to the front of the line, a red-haired cashier glared at her as she rang up her books.

Bulma stared blankly at the girl; it wasn't her fault alone that this girl was forced to work such grueling hours.

When Bulma noticed that the red-haired cashier was smacking her gum and the resentment was suddenly mutual.

"Four hundred and twenty-seven dollars and thirty-two cents." The girl stated, giving her gum momentary relief.

Extending her father's credit card and hoisting her hefty stack of books back up, Bulma exited the bookstore and made the short tread to her dorm alone.

Juu had invited her to hang out with 'the gang' but Bulma insisted on buying her books and getting a goodnight's rest before her first day of classes.

That thought wasn't quite live out, however, for when she had made it to her door, she found Launch pacing nervously in front of it.

"Uh," Bulma blinked, "Hey."

"Hey." Launch said, stopping in her tracks, an anxious expression encompassing her features.

Opening the door, Bulma allowed her inside, "You aren't hanging out with everyone?"

Launch shook her head, "No. I had a date," she extended the item she had been clutching, unnoticed, to Bulma.

The blue haired girl simply stared at it.

"He spilt coffee all over my favorite cashmere sweater," Launch explained.

Bulma nodded, not in the least bit sarcastic; they shared an appreciation for fine material.

"I don't have anything here," She glanced around the room, sat down her books, and disappeared into the bathroom.

"Juu," Launch began, standing in the doorway, "I roomed with her last semester, she uses baby shampoo."

Cocking a brow, Bulma opened the shower to, sure enough, find a bottle of Johnson & Johnson.

Handing it Launch, the girl quickly began removing the stain.

"So," Bulma began, becoming uncomfortable by the sudden lack of conversation material, "why does Juu use baby shampoo?"

A smile spread unconsciously across the petite girl's features, "She says that it keeps her hair soft."

It was so unlike the roommate Bulma had gotten to know she couldn't help but laugh.

"Aha," Launch held up her sweater, spot free, "I owe you one."

Bulma could only smile in response, "So, safe to say it was a bad date?"

Launch rolled her eyes, "Aren't they all?"

"Uhm," she shrugged, "I wouldn't really know. I only dated douche bags in high school, so, they kind of were. I'm sure there are some nice guys here."

"Ha." Launch folded up her sweater with a roll of her eyes, "I wish."

"Well what about Goku and Krillin," Bulma paused, "Or Tien?"

"Goku's a sweetheart, be definitely taken, and Krillin and Tien are more like brothers to me, you know?"

Bulma bit back her smile, "Yeah. I do, actually."

"Thanks for letting me in," Launch's contagious smile lit up her face, "See you tomorrow?"

"You bet."

And letting the girl out, Bulma locked her door and prepared herself for the coming day.

* * *

As soon as the tall, lanky man shut the thick physics text book, Bulma darted from the lecture hall with a sigh of relief. Engineering Physics has been her first class of the day and she still had two more to go.

Pulling her schedule from her bag she couldn't help but smile; it read 'Intro to Yoga - 10:45.' With a quick trod to the university's Rec. center, Bulma settled into the large, designated workout room and was pleasantly surprised to find a familiar face amongst the crowd.

"Chi!" Bulma called, making her way to stand at the petite Asian's side.

"Bulma," she replied, embracing her new friend quickly, "You're taking yoga?"

After a few minutes of small talk, and their Yoga professor passing out information sheets, Bulma was left with a two hour break before he next class.

When it was time for her final class of the day, Bulma nervously slipped into the large, hundred-something seated lecture hall. She glanced down at her schedule, because she honestly didn't have anything else to fill the few minutes before class stared. Her schedule read that this was Calculus.

"Oh my Gooood!" A high-pitched voice shrieked.

Bulma's attention turned to the tall, blonde girl who was now standing beside her seat and waving ecstatically, "Vegeeeta!"

The somber man in question lifted his head as he entered through the doorway.

"Vegeta, wow, I didn't know we had any classes together this semester!" She continued, unaware that the remainder of the room was filled with modestly dressed calculus students sending her looks.

A thin redhead jumped to the girl's side and beamed towards the flame haired boy.

Bulma sunk lower in her seat; though the class was supposed to be calculus it felt a bit more like she was a member in Vegeta Ojie's harem at the moment.

However, as she had averted her attention from the screeching girls, Vegeta had silently dropped into the chair beside her.

He seemed unaffected by the entire situation and didn't bother to cast a glance in her direction, so she simply kept her eyes focused on the empty whiteboard and waited until class stared.

With homework to complete by Wednesday, Bulma gathered up her books after class and bit back a smile as Vegeta purposefully avoided the two girls calling to him from the doorway.

"Not joining your friends?"

He glanced up at her as if just remembering that he had seated himself beside her and frowned.

Taking that as his only reply, Bulma turned on her heel and waited as her classmates funneled from the room.

"Are you done for the day?" He questioned nonchalantly, causing her to turn and shoot him a surprised glance.

"Uh, with class, yes," She stuffed her schedule back into her backpack, "I'm on my way to lunch. Have you eaten?"

He walked beside her as they exited the building, "No."

When silence fell between them again Bulma laughed, "Okay, I'll try this again: Vegeta would you like to grab some lunch?"

With a mere shrug as his only reply, the pair started off towards the campus cafeteria. However, when they were approaching the building the tall blonde from calculus materialized beside them and latched herself onto Vegeta's arm.

"There you are Vegeta," her eyes sparkled, "It almost seemed like you were trying to get away from me earlier."

Keeping his eyes ahead, Vegeta smirked, "Did it?"

She laughed and tightened her hold, "Silly. Say, do you want to get dinner tonight?"

His smirk didn't falter and Bulma felt like she was suffocating. Not liking being a third wheel, Bulma slipped away from the pair and ate lunch on her own.

* * *

"So," Juu said, taking a bag of popcorn from the microwave, "you have a good first day?"

"Yeah," Bulma glanced up from her calculus homework, "it was alright."

Her blonde roommate frowned over her shoulder, "Math homework? Yuck."

She laughed in reply.

"I hope you don't mind if Krillin comes over," Juu began, setting the popcorn down, "I invited him over to watch a movie. You can join if you want."

"Oh," Bulma turned her attention back to her work, "that sounds good, I'm just about done. Uh," closing her book, Bulma frowned, "does Vegeta go out a lot?"

Juu cocked a brow, "What?"

Setting her book back into her bag, Bulma tried to hide her blush, "Does he date a lot?"

"You aren't seriously falling for that arrogant bigot, are you?"

Bulma's eyes rolled, "No. I was just curious. We have calculus together and I just wanted to get a feel for how big of a prick he actually is."

"Well," Juu began, her face falling into a serious scowl, "There are worse man-whores on this campus. Vegeta is, well, a bit egotistical, but he attracts the same amount of attention Goku and Tien do. For some reason girls tend to flock to football players. I'm pretty sure Vegeta's not a virgin, but he doesn't have the reputation some of those chauvinistic pigs have."

There was a knock on their door and Juu jumped to answer it. Soon Krillin was standing at the door with a smile on his face.

"Ladies," he smiled towards the roommates, "I come baring gifts."

Bulma laughed and Juu rolled her eyes; jerking the two-liter of Coke out of Krillins hands she shut the door.

"Juu made popcorn," Bulma said, sliding back into her bed, "She's our own little Betty Crocker."

Krillin laughed and took a seat on her computer chair, "Please, Juu's never made a thing in her life that didn't involve the microwave."

Juu opened a can of dip and placed a bag of chips in front of Krillin.

He smiled, "Goku, Tien, and Vegeta are playing basketball at the Rec tonight and Launch and Chi are working out while the three of us pig out."

Bulma blinked, "Vegeta's playing basketball?"

"Yeah," Krillin replied nonchalantly.

_I thought he had a date?_

After a few moments of snacking in silence, Bulma casually asked Krillin what his girlfriend was doing tonight.

"She went to dinner with her roommate," Krillin began with a smile, "She's really great. You guys need to meet her sometime."

Bulma opened her mouth to speak, but she noticed the way her roommate visibly stiffened at the mention of Krillin's girlfriend. So, keeping her mouth shut, she listened to the two joke around and tease one another and Bulma couldn't help but smile at the pair. It was obvious that they were old friend, she wondered if, perhaps the less obvious, was that they could be more than just that.

Falling asleep halfway through the movie only to wake up to the annoying blasting of her alarm clock, Bulma rolled out of bed and started off her next day of classes.

She noticed that Juu was still in bed and wished that she had more priority in choosing her classes; because her registration was so late Bulma had been forced to take eight-o'clock classes Monday through Friday.

After two engineering classes, Bulma was ecstatic to find that she had Statistics with both Tien and Vegeta and flew into the empty seat beside her brother with a smile.

He glanced strangely at her, "Why are you so happy?"

She glared at him, "Duh Tien, it's exciting to have classes with people that I actually know."

"She's an engineering major," Vegeta began with a smirk, "She's been forced to sit in classes full of awkward males. We're obviously a relief."

Bulma rolled her eyes and turned to face the front. The two boys discusses the course load of this class and she zoned out. It wasn't until after class when the three made their way to the cafeteria that she opened her mouth again.

"How was the Rec?"

Tien shrugged, "It was alright."

"Aw," Bulma feigned a frown, "Not get to see much of Launch?"

"Shut up."

She laughed as they sat their trays on the table. Picking the mushrooms from her chicken, she placed them on Tien's tray without a word. Vegeta eyed the pair as they seemed unaffected by their small exchanges.

"Seriously Tien," Bulma continued, "We need to find you a new girl!"

Vegeta frowned, "I've been trying to get the sap to move on for a year now."

Bulma couldn't help but smile, "Well, now you have a woman's touch; I'll definitely help."

After lunch, Tien walked Bulma to her dorm and Vegeta shot the pair a glare before departing.

"He thinks I'm into you," Tien said, watching his roommate go.

"What?" Bulma began with a frown, "Why would he think that?"

"Because I'm open with you," He couldn't help but smile, "I'm usually pretty nervous around girls."

She pinched his cheek, "Aw, you're too cute. Seriously though, I'm going to help you find yourself a girl. That, or help you grow some balls in order to get you step up and actually talk to Launch."

Tien seemed to ignore her, "Vegeta's my best friend, you know?"

She sent him an estranged glance, "Uh, yeah."

"Seriously Bulma," a grave expression tightened his features, "I don't want you falling for him."

"Tien." She offered him a comforting smile, "I'm not going to."

"Promise?"

She laughed, "I'm not four, cut it out."

"Okay," He rolled his eyes, "See you later."

And with that, he was gone. Bulma made the short trod up to her dorm room. Dropping her book bag to the floor and peeling off her flats, she decided to work on her homework. She was here to make good grades, after all, and not for making friends.

* * *

I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. It's been a really long time since I've done anything with fan fiction, but I am so happy to say that I have rekindled my love for DBZ. I'm also excited about a lot of things coming up for this franchise and I'm anticipating the popularity of this site to grow by this time next year.

dragonballmovieblog . com

As for this story, there is more character development and plot thickening to come! I know this chapter was more just to get me back into the feel of writing again … I hope you still manage to enjoy and look forward to another update soon!

Remember to review!

-Crimson

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**Q&A**

**Will you include more than one perspective?**

Yes. I will definitely try to balance this story out a little more. I know I've focused a lot on Bulma … I had intended it to be that way in the beginning because through her character we are able to meet everyone else. However, in the chapters to come there will be a greater focus on the other characters and their relationships. At the moment, however, there really isn't any action between them; through Bulma we'll see glimpses of things (like Krillin/18, Launch/Tien) and when things build there will be scenes from their perspectives.

Sorry about my little B/V bias. They are my favorite, but I will keep in mind that they aren't everybody's!

**Is Krillin's girlfriend Marron?**

This chapter should answer that. And, no, I don't really like Marron that much and I'm trying this thing where I develop characters to where they are both likeable and dislikable. You know? It's more realistic that way. Obviously there will be a few 'negative' characters, but I don't want them to be quite so flat as I tend to write Marron out to be. So, no, Krillin's girlfriend isn't an airhead - I'll say that much.

**When is everyone going to find out that Bulma and Tien are siblings?**

Eventually. grins

**How long is this story going to be?**

Hm. Good question. I've got an outline up to chapter 10 and a very, very rough plotline for after that. So, at the very least ten chapters, but probably quite a bit more than that.

**When will we see some 'real' Bulma/Vegeta action?**

Be patient! Haha, I promise that it will come. However, this chapter you'll get to see some B/V. Depending on what your definition of real is, of course. I'll let you be the judge.

* * *

**Study Breaks**

* * *

The library, littered with couches and tables, was strewn about with student's crouching over text books and speaking in hushed tones. Bulma clutched her calculus textbook as she walked towards an empty table. It was hard to feel a bit out of place for a girl, just shy of eighteen, who had yet to be on her own, to be thrust into such an environment. However, she had proved herself responsible by maintaining a steady study schedule.

Little did she know, the calculus study group would seek to change all that.

A book bag dropped into the empty chair across from her and her blue eyes darted up from the text book she was staring at.

"Hey Vegeta," She said, offering him a smile. He returned her greeting with a grunt and slid into the chair beside his book bag.

"I'm still on the second chapter," She said, as if his gruff reply were nothing short of a friendly greeting, "Anywhere in particular you want to start?"

He opened his book and frowned, "Yeah. I haven't seen limits since high school."

She blinked and then nodded, "Oh. Right. I keep forgetting you guys are so much older than me."

"So much?" He cocked a brow in her direction, "We're only a year older than you."

"Yeah, you're sophomores and I'm a freshman," She kept her attention on the book, "But I told you I was a genius Vegeta. I graduated high school early so you're actually a couple years older than me."

"Why?"

Not expecting him to question her further, she blinked, "Uh. Why?"

"Why did you graduate early? In a rush to get on with life?"

"Er," She shrugged, "Something like that. I just got tired of high school, you know?"

With a nod, his attention was restored to the text book. He didn't even seem annoyed when the gorgeous blue haired girl interrupted him to ask him a question or to check over some of her work. This was something because Vegeta had a strict policy of studying alone. Once ChiChi had suggested a 'group study date' and he had abruptly left halfway through the evening, clearly livid. There was nothing but chatter and laughter and he hadn't been able to concentrate.

That probably explained why Tien had nearly fallen out of his computer chair when Vegeta said he was off to study with Bulma in the library.

"So, Freshman," He smirked as her clear blue eyes darted up to meet his, clearly confused, "seeing as to how you're new to this whole scene, I'm going to take it upon myself to show you a real party."

"Uhm," Bulma swallowed, "a _real_ party?"

"Yeah, none of that crap Kakerott's harpy and your lesbian roommate try to pull."

"Juu's not a lesbian," Bulma replied nonchalantly, glancing back down at her textbook.

By one the library was nearly empty and Bulma and Vegeta, upon completing their calculus homework, went their separate ways with a quick goodbye.

In her room, Bulma found Juu grumbling over a book of short stories.

"What's up?" Bulma questioned.

"Not too much," the blonde answered, her monotone voice giving little hint of her true feelings.

With a short nod, Bulma got ready for bed.

"You know," Juu stated, tossing her book aside, "He had the nerve to come over here to ask me where he should take her."

Bulma's eyes widened with confusion and she stared at her roommate.

"Krillin." She clarified, bitter tongued, "You know, I sat with him in statistics and couldn't stand the bugger. Sure, he's real cute and all, but he always…, anyways, he and I studied a lot and get to class early so we could have time to talk and stuff. We'd never admit it, but I know that's why. Anyways, he started dating this horrible woman, Marron," She shuddered visibly, "One of those girls that give females a bad name. Anyways, I helped convince him that she was wrong for him after she broke his heart, and he helped me pass statistics and introduced me to Goku and Chi."

Tucking her legs beneath her, Bulma smiled, "So you liked him?"

She shrugged, "Maybe more as a friend than anything else. I have a twin who's always been my other half. When we decided to go to different universities I thought I would finally have a chance to breath. Turned out I relied on him for friends; Krillin was the first and, really, only friend I made on my own."

Pulling her straight aqua locks into a ponytail Bulma smiled, "That's not true. You introduced me to the group; so, technically you made friends with me."

"True." Juu said, grabbing her book, her face falling back to its expressionless glare, "Sorry. I didn't mean to vent to you - I just can't stand any of the trash Krillin dates. You know?"

"Yeah," Bulma nodded, knowingly, "You don't like to see him get hurt."

"Exactly!"

Bulma couldn't help but smile as she made her way into the shower.

* * *

While the Prasarita Padottanasana was arguably a rather simple stretch, Bulma felt more than a little awkward as she placed her hands beside her head to rest on the ground.

Standing beside ChiChi, she bit back her laugh as the tiny Asian woman attempted to contort her body in the position.

Snapping her head towards Bulma, she frowned, "Oh shut up, you look pretty dumb too you know."

With a grin, Bulma turned to face the front.

After moving on to the much simpler Lotus stretch, Bulma and ChiChi continued their conversation in whispers beneath the soothing music playing over the Yoga room's speakers.

"So you had lunch with Tien and Vegeta again, hm?"

When Bulma nodded she grinned in reply.

"Getting a little cozy with those two, hm?"

"Cozy?" Bulma frowned, "It's only lunch, Chi."

"Oh, only studying?" ChiChi's grin widened, "What about your little rendezvous with Vegeta in the library?"

"Rendezvous?" She tossed her head back, blue ponytail swaying as she laughed, "We were studying. How do you hear about this stuff anyways?"

ChiChi shot her a warning glance, "Keep it down, we're getting looks."

Noticing that this was the truth, Bulma feigned concentration with a blush.

"Anyways," ChiChi continued, "I know everything. You should watch out though; while Vegeta may be related to my Goku, he's nothing but a bastard. Also, Tien's madly in love with Lauch. If you can somehow manage to get him over his crush, fine by me. But I'm just warning you."

"Don't worry about it, Chi. I don't have a _thing _for either of them."

Changing topics with a wave her hand, the Asian woman grinned, "You should come to the mall with Launch and I tonight."

"Sure, sounds great! I haven't been off campus yet."

"Really? Wow. It'll be awesome." She paused as they followed their instructor into the next position, "You should also convince Juu to come."

Bulma nodded, "Yeah. Definitely."

Casting her a quick side-glance, ChiChi giggled.

"What?"

"Oh, now I know why the guys were giving Goku and I a hard time about Yoga improving our sex life."

Blinking, Bulma looked at the leg positioned above her head as she lay on her back and laughed aloud.

With all eyes in the meditative room on them, Bulma and ChiChi tried their best to stiffle their giggles to no avail.

And after class, Bulma had a spring in her step that she could only credit to her friendship with the girl. That evening the four went in Launch's car to the local mall and loaded up on Starbucks and clothes and, eventually, pretzels the size of their heads.

"What?" ChiChi questioned, her brows raised.

"Yeah," Launch smiled, "You can get those different flavored pretzels and they make them by hand; they're gigantic Chi!"

"She's right," Juu began, leading them in the direction of the pretzel vendor, "you're missing out."

Prezels in hand, the quartet settled into a bench and some conversation until Bulma spotted a familiar face amust the crowd.

"Hey, Juu, is that Krillin?"

ChiChi nearly shrieked in reply, "Oh my goodness! And that must be his new girlfriend!"

Waving them over, Krillin placed his hand behind his head and laughed, "Uh, hey guys."

"So," Launch beamed at the girl to his side. She looked more than a little nervous clutching her purse and smiling timidly at the four beautiful girls before her, "This must be your girlfriend!"

"Oh, yeah," Krillin grinned, "This is Kira. Kira, these are my friends."

The girls introduced themselves and Kira smiled and nodded in return. Juu's greeting was slightly cold, but it seemed to have little effect on anyone.

"What are you two up to?" Bulma questioned.

"We just grabbed some dinner," Kira began with a warm smile towards Krillin, "And we didn't know what else to so we're just roaming around the mall."

"We must look like complete fat asses," ChiChi said, tossing her pretzel back into it's wrapper, "Krillin's friends aren't always so uncouth."

"You'll definitely have to hang out with all of us sometime," Launch interrupted with her signature smile, "I mean, Krillin and Kira? How adorable does that sound?"

Juu rolled her eyes and ChiChi nodded, "Yeah. The other half, the, _male _half, of our gang isn't quite into the mall scene."

Giggling, Launch patted Krillin's head, "Only our sweet little Krillin."

Kira laughed as her boyfriend blushed.

"Yeah, I would love to hang out with you guys sometime," She spoke, tucking a lock of dark blonde hair away from her face, "Krillin speaks so highly of you all I was a little nervous to meet everyone."

Bulma watched as the pair eyed each other; that newfound affection sparkling their eyes. It was corny, but so was the start to such relationships. It fit the pair quite nicely and Bulma couldn't help but feel some of the pretty blonde's anxiety of the rather powerful figures before her.

When they went their separate ways, Launch dropped them off on campus and Juu complained to Bulma on the short walk back to their dorm.

Keeping an even expression, the blue haired girl nodded absently.

"They don't even look that good together," Juu continued, swiping her ID in front the building, "I mean, Kira and Krillin? Gag."

Bulma couldn't help but laugh. It was becoming more than a little obvious that her roommate had some feelings for Krillin. None of the insults she had spoken earlier about the girl held any truth. In reality, Kira seemed like a sweet, small-town girl with an average plainness and good air about her.

Krillin looked happy at his side, despite what Juu saw, and she also looked more than slightly content.

The following evening, after another long day of classes, Bulma waited inside of Starbucks for Vegeta to show up for their 'study date.'

Sipping on her frappachino, she stared onto her calculus assignment with an exasperated gaze. While they had nearly two weeks to complete the assignment, the blue haired girl was already feeling the pressure of the work.

"Are you ready?" A rough voice questioned from above her.

Snapping her head in his direction, her large, blue eyes blinked, "Uh, ready?"

"Yeah," Vegeta shrugged, "Let's go."

Grabbing her book bag with a confused gaze, Bulma followed Vegeta out of one of the large glass doors. When they were outside, Bulma noticed that Vegeta didn't have any books with him.

"Where are we going?"

"I told you, I'm taking you to a party."

"Uh," Bulma's eyes widened, "A party? Bu-but, it's Thursday! I have a class at eight o'clock tomorrow."

He smirked, "That sucks."

Clearly wanting to protest, Bulma glanced down at the new top she had gotten at the mall the previous day. Deciding that it would be a shame to waste the form-fitting top on studying, she complied.

The party was at a small house in the outskirts of town. Wondering how Vegeta could find such a place, she decided that he had been there one numerous occasions.

A dozen or so cars lined the sidewalk, and Bulma followed Vegeta silently into the house. Inside, a boy handed them both a beer, greeted Vegeta by name and smiled promptly at Bulma's breasts.

With a small smile, Bulma knew that her new top was working. Seemingly unaffected by her presence, Bulma continued to follow the flamehaired male into the living room. While at home she had been rather outgoing and often the life of the party, here she felt awkward and shy. Why was Vegeta's dark presence the only comforting thing she could find in the room?

Avoiding the eyes a pair of scantly clad females who grinned at Vegeta, three guys doing weed on the couch, and a handful of frat boys shot gunning beers in the kitchen, Bulma settled into Vegeta's side and listened with mild interest as a brunette named Collin updated Vegeta about the party he had missed last weekend.

Remaining silent, Vegeta nodded occasionally and only cracked his signature smirk when three figures joined their circle.

Bulma visibly stifled at the site of the redhead from the calculus class and two guys flanking her.

Half an hour later, Vegeta was having a beer with four guys on the porch. Bulma had slipped away from his side sometime earlier and he silently wondered where she was.

"Hey, Vegeta," A bushy haired frat boy spoke with a tilt of his head, "Are you dating that gorgeous chick?"

"Hn?" The scowling flame haired man questioned, confusion littering his features.

"What Yamcha means," An inebriated blonde interrupted, "Are you banging that gorgeous blue haired chick you showed up with, _exclusively_."

"Oh please," A brunette interjected with a laugh, "Like Vegeta does anything exclusively."

Following Yamcha's eyes, Vegeta found Bulma standing on the edge of a group of girls sipping a beer.

Fighting the urge to pound his face in, Vegeta frowned, "No. She's a friend of mine."

With that, Yamcha snapped out of his daze and grinned, "Sweet. Well, I'll catch you guys later."

"Yamcha!" Bulma stated, grinning at the site of a familiar face.

He froze, blinked, and she laughed, taking him into a light embrace.

"You don't remember me, hm?"

"Er," he scratched his head, looking helpless, "Should I?"

A good-natured smile lit up her features, "No - I guess not. You were pretty drunk."

With a nod, Yamcha let a lopsided smile cross his features, "Eh, it happens."

With a giggle, Bulma extended her hand, "Well, I'm Bulma. Nice to meet you."

"Oh," Yamcha said, clasping her hand, "I assure you the pleasure is all mine."

"Bulma." A gruff voice called.

Turning her attention from Yamcha, Bulma was met with a perturbed looking Vegeta. His arms were crossed and his brow knitted.

"Finish your beer, we're heading out."

With a quick nod, Bulma pulled her hand from Yamcha's and cast him an apologetic smile, "See you around?"

"Yeah, definitely."

In the car on the ride home, the silence nearly suffocated Bulma. She wished Vegeta would at least return some of her pitiful attempts at small talk.

"So you like Yamcha?" He asked abruptly.

"Uh," Bulma turned to face him and shrugged, "Yeah. He seems alright."

Seeing the shadows darken Vegeta's visage, Bulma frowned, "You don't like him?"

"No. He's an idiot."

"Yeah," She laughed lightly, "I'm sure. He seems like a nice guy; I wouldn't date him though."

When Vegeta's dark eyes remained on the road and his facial expression remained unmoved, Bulma cleared her throat.

"Seriously, I dated a dozen Yamcha's in high school; I'm not about the make that mistake again."

After another long period of silence, Bulma gave up trying to have a conversation with Vegeta and turned her attention to the dark skies outside the window.

Every girl loves a good mystery, and while Vegeta was the epitome of dark and ruggedly handsome, she felt that his aloofness was a sign of his feelings towards her. But if he didn't like her, then why would he take her to a party? And if he liked her, then why did he insist on being so cold?

Keeping her attention towards the skyline and off the of the man beside her, Bulma placed her head against the window and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Expect another, more eventful chapter soon!

And remember to review!

-C


	6. Chapter 6

****

The First Game of the Season

* * *

The sun was at its peak in the September sky, and the cerulean eyed teen had to place her hand on her sticky forehead in order to see the action from the field below.

It was her first college football game and she could hardly hide her excitement. While she cheered on her brother and her friends Vegeta and Goku, her eyes also darted occasionally to the scantly clad Launch standing on the side of the field waving forest green pompoms.

Bulma laughed every time ChiChi screamed at the ref. She was currently cursing like a sailor to ref on the field about a "shitty-ass" call made on _her _Goku. Bulma bit her lip as the seemingly bipolar woman stuck her nose in the air and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Bumbling idiot, ne?" The petite Asian growled, placing her hands on her small hips, looking quite intimidating.

"Er," Juu cocked a brow, her eyes hidden beneath her dark shades, "Chill out Chi, it's just a football game."

Biting back another smile, Bulma cleared her throat, "Chi, he's going to clarify the call."

When the referee had spoken that it was a fifteen yard penalty for a facemask, ChiChi broke back out into her scream of curses that were muted against the other protests erupting thought the crowd.

Juu was back to sitting down on the bleachers, her arms folded and her body language screaming that she was bored out of her mind. When Bulma and ChiChi had gotten together the night before to make shirts for the team, Juu had disappeared from the room and hadn't returned until sometime after midnight. The fact that she had shown up at all at the game was a shock for Bulma. ChiChi, however, had assured her that Juu wouldn't miss a game, no matter how reluctantly she joined.

Sporting a forest green tank top, rather than the green shirts Bulma and ChiChi had made that read "We're Here For the Tight Ends" Juu smiled and stood up when halftime was called and the marching band began to take the field.

"Look!" ChiChi cheered, pointing her small finger to a dot that was smaller than the others, "There's Krillin!"

Watching him march around, clashing his cymbals, the trio laughed and clapped along. When the game started back up, Vegeta took his running back position and Bulma could practically feel his haughty smirk. The score was currently 28-7 and most of the points were credited to him; he did usually have some basis for being so goddamn cocky.

Goku, living up to his All Star Quarterback status, made a few passes that resulted in touchdowns, and Tien, playing defense, helped keep the other team from getting another point in the second half.

After the game, the three girls waited outside the locker room until a freshly showered Goku came running out and ChiChi jumped into his arms. Seeing them in a deep kiss, Bulma quickly turned her head away with a small blush while Juu pretended to gag.

Launch laughed as she met the group, "Hey Bee, enjoy the game?"

Bulma beamed, "I really did. You look so hot out there Launch!"

With a smile, Launch watched as Vegeta walked up; her smile fell, "Where's Tien?"

"He's getting ready for his date," Bulma spilled, watching Launch's shocked reaction. Expecting the navy-haired girl to fall silent, Bulma frowned. ChiChi had set up Tien with a girl from one of her education classes and the two girls had chatted about in the previous day in Yoga class, in hopes to help him move on; it was the widened eyes of Launch that caused Bulma's heart to swell.

Was she honestly jealous? Or just shocked to see him go out?

"Good." Vegeta said with a scowl, crossing his large arms across his chest, "Maybe getting some will help him relax; he's done enough complaining this semester."

Bulma laughed, "Really Vegeta? Hm, I haven't seen you get any this semester."

"Oh Bulma," Juu began with her impassive frown, "Don't encourage him."

The pair shared a smile while Goku and ChiChi pulled away.

"So," ChiChi grinned, linking arms with her boyfriend, "We're heading to grab some lunch if anyone would care to join."

Juu shot her a look, "No thanks Chi, I'm good."

Pointing towards her frozen Lemon Chill, Bulma shook her head, "I'm full."

"Woman, that's not even food."

She stuck her tongue out at him and he ripped the cup from her hand.

Everyone's eyes remained glued to the couple; ChiChi's mouth hung slightly open and Juu frowned, "Could you two please stop flirting, it's making me nauseous."

When the group had gone their separate ways, ChiChi and Goku settled into a booth in the back of a local pizza joint.

She was starting to get slightly annoyed as everyone who passed their table stopped and congratulated Goku. True, part of his appeal was the infamous star status that came with him being the star of the University's football team … but if another family interrupted her dinner asking for an atograph she swore she would …

"You look nice today, ChiChi."

Her thoughts were interrupted with a blush, "Aw, thanks Goku."

Pecking his cheek, she grinned, "What would you say to a little alone time together after dinner?"

Goku smiled back, and when they made it to ChiChi's dorms hallway, barely able to keep their hands off one another, ChiChi fumbled with her keycard as Goku placed a series of kisses on her neck.

"Goku I can't-" She paused as the door flung open and revealed Juu, Krillin, Launch and Bulma seated around the room watching TV.

"Oh, hey Chi!" Launch said, turning to the flustered couple as they entered, ready to fall onto the bed Bulma was sprawled across.

"Er," ChiChi quickly swept her hair back and sighed, "I was just coming to pick something up."

"What?" Launch teased, a knowing smile crossing her face.

Ignoring her roommates teasing grin, ChiChi grabbed her coat.

"Hey Goku, we're about to watch 300, you two should stay!" Krillin stated, extending a bag of popcorn towards the male.

Despite having just eaten an entire large pizza just minutes before, Goku took a fist full of popcorn with a smile, "Gee, thanks Krillin. We'll definitely stay."

"No." ChiChi glared at him, placing her hands on her hips in what Bulma was beginning to see was her signature protective-mother pose, "Goku, sweetie, why don't we go back to your room so you can help me with that thing you were going to help me with."

"Uh," the wad of popcorn froze above Goku's mouth as he blinked, "What thing ChiChi? I wasn't going to help you with anything, we were going to-" He dropped the popcorn back into the bag and placed his hand behind his head with a laugh, "Yeah, right."

When the pair left, Launch giggled and Juu set down her bowl of popcorn, "Wow. So I lost my appetite."

Halfway into the movie, Bulma's phone vibrated and she looked down to see a text from her brother that read 'SOS - Stukey's Burgers and step on it.'

With a knitted brow, Bulma glanced up, "Uh, where is Stukey's Burgers at?"

"Just across campus, on the strip with all the bars," Launch clarified, looking up from the movie, "Why?"

"Oh, I've got to meet a friend there." She stood up, "Sorry to leave guys, I should be back in a little while."

"Yeah, you should hurry up," Krillin began with a nod, "I'm about to order pizza."

With a smile, Bulma left the trio and ran to the strip across from campus, her eyes frantically searching from the burger restaurant. Finally spotting it, she rushed inside and found Tien sending her an exasperated glance.

Making her way to the table, Bulma frowned from behind the green haired girl's back. Mouthing what's wrong, Tien's eyes widened towards the girl across from him and Bulma grinned. They hadn't always been the closest of siblings, but she had been called upon to save Tien from bad first dates in the past.

"Tien!" She called, her voice rising a few octives as she rushed to the side of the table.

"O-oh, hey." He said, feigning a nervous smile, "What are you doing here?"

"What are _you _doing here pookey bear?"

He had to bite back his grin, "Why, can't you see that I'm on a date. This is Natasha."

The girl flared her nostrils at Bulma.

"Pookey bear," Bulma said, batting her eyelashes, "Why are you on a date? Am I not woman enough to satisfy you?"

"Pookey bear?" The girl began, glaring at the couple, "Call me when you're single, dick head."

With a slam of the door, the girl stomped off.

"Tien," Bulma frowned, "I feel bad, what was wrong with her?"

"What _wasn't _wrong with her is the question," Tien said, taking a bite of his burger, "She's insane Bee, seriously crazy."

Bulma laughed, "What did she do?"

"She started bragging to me about her former conquest, and interrogated me about my past, present, and future."

"Tien," she frowned, "She doesn't sound that bad."

"Well, she was." He finished his burger with a childlike frown, "I haven't been on a good date in nearly two years."

"Maybe the girls aren't that bad," Bulma smiled, "maybe it's that they're just not the one you wish they were."

"What?" He blinked.

"Oh, c'mon. They aren't Launch and therefore you can't like them."

"You're insane."

"No," Bulma crossed her arms, "I am not. You are."

"Well, you sound like mom."

Rolling her eyes, Bulma stood up, "And that's all the thanks I get for helping my big bro out?"

Pecking her cheek, Tien laughed, "Thanks."

Wiping her cheek like she used to when she was five, Bulma giggled, "Stop that Tien, we're in public."

--

"Launch," Juu growled from across the room, "If you flip your phone open one more time I swear to God that I will come over there and break it in half."

"That's a serious threat," Krillin warned, "I would watch out if I were you, she broke my phone last semester."

With a small smile, Juu rolled her eyes, "You big weenie, I didn't do it on purpose."

"Yeah?" Krillin smiled jokingly, "But you _did _mean to throw me into the pool, so therefore you did do it on purpose."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

Launch watched the pair joke with a blink; turning her attention back down to her empty inbox, waiting anxiously to Tien's reply to her text message. So what if he was on a date? She had invited him to lunch the following day and her request deserved an answer regardless.

* * *

Laughing as her brother confessed some of the ways in which he attempted to, and often succeeded in, sabotaging her past relationships, the brother-sister pair entered Tien's dorm room with a laugh.

A perturbed looking Vegeta glanced up as they entered and Bulma immediately quieted.

"Hey Vegeta," Tien stated as he shut the door, casually tossing his wallet on his bed and sitting down beside his roommate.

Vegeta unpaused the game of Call of Duty IV he had previously been engaged in and ignored the pair.

"Oh," Bulma glanced down at her phone to see that she had a text from Launch, "guys - people are hanging out in Launch's room if you would like to join."

Jumping to his feet, Tien rummaged through his closet.

"What are you doing?" Bulma asked, subconsciously going into annoying-sister mode.

"Getting something nice to wear."

"You _are _wearing something nice dummy, you just got back from a date, remember?"

"Ah," Vegeta smirked, his eyes still on the TV, "And how did that go? She put out?"

"No." Tien grumbled, tossing out a few button ups, "She was psycho."

"She was not," Bulma said, dropping onto the couch beside Vegeta, "Tien's just too much of a baby to actually like a girl."

"And what are you doing here?" He questioned, remaining detached.

"I just so happened to be Tien's knight in shining armor," Bulma said with a grin, "Tien, wear the blue and white one," he help up a shirt and she nodded, "Yeah."

Quickly buttoning the top and spraying himself with Axe, the bald male fled the room.

"Wow. He really does like her, hm?"

"I'm sorry," Vegeta snapped, pausing his game to glare at her, "Did you say something?"

Her cerulean eyes narrowed, "I guess I'm keeping you from playing video games."

Without a word, Vegeta went back to his game and Bulma rolled her eyes.

Silence settled between them, and Bulma debated about grabbing her purse and joining her friends watching a movie in Launch's room. She had told them that she would be back, after all.

But for some reason, watching the furrowed brow of Vegeta as his competitive side shown through, Bulma couldn't help but grin.

"You played really well today," She complimented.

With a nod, a smirk tugged at the corners of his lips, "I always do."

"Oooh," She laughed, "Modest I see."

"Tell me woman, what do I have to be modest about?"

Opening her mouth to engage in witty banter, she found her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth; Bulma Briefs was speechless, and that was a rare thing.

With another triumphant smirk, Vegeta continued playing video games and Bulma fished through her purse for her phone, "Well, see you later."

Nodding, Vegeta turned of his Xbox, "You want to grab dinner?"

Staring at him as if he had just grown tentacles, Bulma blinked, "What?"

"Yeah, I just played a game and I'm famished. I know you didn't join Kakerot and his wench for dinner, so you're bound to be hungry."

Knowing full well that Krillin was ordering pizza, Bulma got to her feet and followed Vegeta out the door. They settled into a booth at a café close to campus and Bulma straightened her posture as a group of girls nearby waved and giggled at the running back.

Ignoring them, Vegeta flipped through the menu.

"Vegeta, after dinner do you want to go to Launch and Chi's room to hang out with everybody?"

His dark eyes met hers, a void stare filling the dark orbs and a frown lingering on his lips.

After realizing that he was going to remain mute, Bulma rolled her eyes and buried herself in the array of greasy foods on the menu. Settling on a salad and a strawberry milkshake, she glanced up to find Vegeta ordering a loaded half-pound burger with onion rings and a chocolate skake.

Her nose wrinkling in disgust, she handed their waiter her menu.

"What?" Vegeta began, leaning back in the booth, "You didn't honestly think that I would order a salad?"

Shrugging, Bulma sipped on her tea.

"If you want we can go hang out with those idiots for a while."

Bulma smiled, "They're your friends too you know."

He simply grunted and Bulma laughed, "There's no football game next weekend," she said, "What do you guys do on weekends when there isn't a game?"

Shrugging, Vegeta looked almost thoughtful, "ChiChi wants to get everyone together Saturday night to go to a club or something equally ridiculous."

Bulma couldn't help but grin at the look of disgust that encompassed his face. There was something intriguing about his shadowed, angular features and his olive toned skin. He had a darkness about him and he exhibited such coldness that she couldn't help but enjoy his presence. At the same time, she felt that she was constantly walking on eggshells, in fear that one wrong move on her part would put a sudden end to their friendship.

"Well," Her grin widened, "I bet I could get you to dance."

"No," he stated simply, "I won't dance with you."

Feeling as if she had just been smacked, Bulma's face reflected as much, "Okay Mr. High-and-Mighty. See if I care."

He simply glared at her, "Your awfully defensive, woman."

The waiter placed their food in front of them, and Bulma sipped on her strawberry milkshake, purposefully ignoring the man across from her.

"Listen," Vegeta said, his voice lowering a few notches and coming out as almost a growl, "I just meant that I'm not going to be here this weekend."

"Oh," She glanced up, her cerulean eyes filling with curiosity, "Where are you going?"

"Home."

Her head tilted to the side, some of her sky-blue hair spilling across her shoulders, "What for?"

He glanced up, mid-bite of his hamburger, clearly annoyed, "What do you mean? I'm going home to see my parents."

"Aw," She grinned, "That's sweet Vegeta."

"No it isn't. They're making me come home."

A small giggle escaped her lips; Vegeta looked like a pouting child at the moment.

"They're making me come have dinner with them only to sit me down to hound me about my repulsive personality. They'll blame it on my not 'settling down' and scorn my 'debauched' ways."

His speech sounded so quotes that Bulma couldn't help but smile; Vegeta's parents were obviously rooting for him to meet a nice girl and probably for him to soften up a bit.

"That's too bad," She grinned mockingly, "I'm great with parents - you should take me home."

"Alright." He shrugged, "Then come with me."

"Wha-" Blinking, her mouth fell into a small 'o', "Er, Vegeta, I was kidding."

When he simply ignored her, Bulma chewed on her lower lip. Had she just denied Vegeta's attempts at friendship? Well, perhaps it had been somewhat selfish of him, but she had been the one to suggest it.

"Fine," She said suddenly, lifting her chin hauntingly, "But you owe me."

Cocking a brow, Vegeta frowned, "I owe you?"

"Yes," The haughty glint in her eyes never faltered, "Because I'm telling you, I'm awesome with parents."

He chuckled lightly, "I don't know about that, no girl is good enough for my parents."

"Hm," Bulma said, taking another sip of her strawberry milkshake and keeping her eyes on the man across from her, "We'll see about that."

* * *

Tien leaned back against Launch's bed, her legs dangling just inches from his head.

Juu and Krillin were seated on ChiChi's side of the room, Juu laying out on the bed while Krillin sat at the computer chair.

While Tien pretended to watch the movie, he occasionally stole a glance at Launch from the corner of his eye. Not wanting her to catch drift of his infatuation with her, he glanced down at his cell phone to check the time.

Instead he found that he had a text message from earlier that day and smiled when he saw it was from Launch; his cheeks flushed as he read that it was an invitation to lunch tomorrow.

With a grin, he quickly wrote her back an acceptance of the offer, Launch jumped as her phone vibrated and read the message. The pair exchanged smiles and Tien tried his best to ignore the taut legs that dangled by his head and stared at the movie playing before him.

Perhaps tomorrow he finally be able to tell her how he felt; how he had felt since the first day he had met her freshman year.

* * *

I'm actually really, really excited about the next chapter. In it we will finally see the development of some of the characters relationships.

Anyways, I hope you have enjoyed this story so far and I look forward to reading your reviews!

-C

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

  


* * *

  


Meet the Parents

* * *

Her fingers dug through her sky-blue hair with irritation.

"Yes mom."

Her teeth sunk into her lip and she let out an agitated sigh.

"_Yes _mom, I heard you the first time."

With another sigh, Bulma rolled her eyes and took a seat on the edge of her bed, now only half listening to the woman blabbing on the other end of the phone.

"Well," Bulma said, straightening up a bit at the sound of a question and not just senseless chatter, "I'm actually going to a friend's house this weekend."

Her posture became rigid as her mother's tone shifted to excitement.

"Yes mom," her voice was dull, "It is a male friend."

Her eyes rolled and she flopped backwards onto her bed, her attention shifting to the ceiling tiles that were a bit more entertaining than the current one sided conversation. While her mother chattered away excitingly about her baby girl already entertaining college boys, Bulma heard a knock at the door. Opening it up to reveal her brother, Bulma's composure did little to hide her irritation.

She mouthed 'mom' to Tien, who simply nodded, not bothering to bite back his smile, and took a seat at her desk.

Her voice jaded, Bulma spoke up, "Hey mom, Tien just got here, and I still have a little packing to do so I'll talk to you Monday." A pause, "Yes, of course. I love you too."

When she hung up the phone, she tossed it onto the bed and rubbed her eyes, "Tien, she drives me insane."

Tien chuckled slightly and then his face hardened, "Where's Juu?"

"She went to get lunch in the commons with Krillin."

"Good, we need to have a talk." His face was stern.

"Oh?" Bulma grinned, "To chew me out because my friends just so happen to be your friends as well."

"What the hell are you _thinking_, Bulma?"

She gave him a nonchalant shrug, "What do you mean, brother dear?"

"You're going to Vegeta's house? To meet his parents?"

"Relax Tien, we're only friends."

"No. Vegeta and I are friends. Hell, we're roommates Bulma and even _I _haven't been to his house before."

"Well," She said, her nose rising slightly in a somewhat haughty manner, "You never took him home either."

"And it's a good thing I didn't. I don't want my roommate sleeping around with my little sister."

Bulma couldn't help but laugh at the statement, "Tien, Vegeta and I can't even have a decent conversation - trust me, we couldn't make it in a relationship."

"Oh, and you think Vegeta looks for conversation in the girls he sleeps around with?"

Looking slightly hurt, Bulma glared at him, "Maybe you think that lowly of Vegeta, but do you honestly think that of me?"

When he studied her, his face softened a bit. Finally relief swept over his features, "We're going to have to tell everyone that we're related eventually."

"Yeah," she agreed with a small laugh, "But now when we tell them we're going to look like weirdoes. I mean, honestly, who hides the fact that they're siblings?"

Pushing her off the bed seemed like the most mature comeback Tien could come up with, and so with a plop Bulma fell to the floor with a giggle.

* * *

"It's been so long since we've hung out!" Launch said with a small smile, "You know, just the two of us."

Tien's cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson, "Ye-yeah. I know."

She smiled, "So, how was your date last night?"

His nose wrinkled, "Not good. She was crazy."

Launch laughed. To him, it sounded like music.

"Oh no," She said between laughs, "I can definitely relate though. Man, if I had a quarter for every bad date I'd been on …"

He chuckled, "Well, the guys you always introduce us to are just assholes. This girl was a genuine nut-case."

Launch laughed again. Tien hoped the sound wouldn't stop. He would have to continue to be funny.

"So, any plans tonight?" He questioned casually.

She shook her head, "No. Thomas and I broke up so I'm probably just going to be sulking in my room watching ChiChi and Goku be disgustingly couple-y."

Tien smiled, "Thomas? Wow, did he last a whole week?"

She glared at him, "Hey now. I'm not rubbing _your _dating record in your face. Now let's see--"

He cut her off with another chuckle, "Okay, okay. Well, if you would like we could go see a movie. I mean, unless you were banking on watching your roommate and her boyfriend make out."

She cocked a thin brow in his direction, "You mean, like a date?"

Waving his hands defensively, Tien blushed, "N-no, no. Just as friends … and stuff."

Launch broke out into another stream of musical laughter, "Of course Tien. That sounds fun."

--

Juu let her chin rest on her palm with a sigh, "Pathetic. Did you see that last kick? He's getting weaker by the second."

"No!" Krillin interrupted defensively, "He's just giving himself a moment to rest. See? Now he's back!"

Sighing, Juu leaned back further on her bed, "I _still _say he's half assin' it.."

It was their weekly movie night. Correction, their weekly kung-fu movie night, and the less plot the better. It had been their guilty pleasure since freshman year and when Krillin had asked Juu if he could invite his new girlfriend tonight Juu had visibly stiffened but forced out a polite 'sure.' Fortunately, Krillin's girlfriend had wrinkled her nose at the sound of a three hour kung-fu movie and their tradition continued as normal.

When there was a knock on the door, Krillin jumped up, "That must be the Chinese food!"

Five minutes later the pair was chewing in an awed silence.

"Tomorrow," Krillin said suddenly, breaking the silence, "We should go see that new Jet Li movie."

"For sure." Juu said with an eager nod, her eyes never leaving the TV and her kung-pao chicken laying abandoned on her lap.

* * *

When he opened the door, he eyed her frame appreciatively. Not because she was exceedingly beautiful, but simply because she had gotten the memo : dress to impress.

With her blue hair curled lightly at the ends, Bulma adorned her frame with a pale-yellow sundress. It was such a dress that was quite flattering to her figure, yet conservative. It was a simple dress not fit for any formal occasion, but it was still a very nice dress.

Yes, she knew how lovely she looked. Vegeta smirked, but she hadn't a clue how critical his parents were.

"I'm warning you woman," he began, taking her bag and leading the way to the garage where his car was parked, "You should back out now. No matter how perfect you appear, my parents are going to hate you."

The grin that lit up her face radiated confidence, "We'll see about that."

It was only an hour drive and when they pulled into the elegantly gated driveway, Bulma was not surprised to find a mansion that rivaled her own. A man in a suit opened her door when Vegeta's sports car came to a stop in front the large, Beverly Hills style house.

Stepping out of the car, Bulma waited patiently for Vegeta to grab her hand and lead her inside. The man in the suit was just carrying in their bags when a man who looked strikingly like Vegeta, except with a short, pointed beard and wrinkles around his eyes, opened the door.

"Vegeta," the man said, his voice low and gruff, "I didn't know you were bringing a girl home with you."

A woman entered the room, her jet-black hair swept into an elegant bun, and smiled coyly at Bulma, "Oh. There is a girl."

The pair exchanged distant smiles with their son, and then a woman entered the room and announced that tea was ready.

Bulma bit back her smile at the sound of tea, and followed the older couple into the sitting room. Placing her hand on Vegeta's arm, she smiled at him and he frowned.

When Vegeta's mother took a seat at the table and began discussing business affairs with her son, Bulma began to understand why Vegeta was so standoffish, cold, and why it was difficult to get him to converse like a decent human being.

Being ever the polite guest, Bulma smiled at all the appropriate times, thanked Vegeta's mother for allowing her to stay with them, complimented the tea, and sipped it with the manners she had acquired growing up as lady and her mother's daughter.

When Bulma excused herself to go to the bathroom, Vegeta was left alone with his parents and their disapproving stares.

"You didn't even warn us that you were brining your latest whore with you," his father began, a stern look in his eyes.

"Father, she isn't a whore," He replied, mimicking the glare he had learned from the older man.

"He's right dear," the woman said with a sigh, "Vegeta's never brought a girl home before, let's give her a chance."

"Ha. Gold-digging whore," he mumbled.

When Bulma reentered the room, Vegeta's mother excused herself to fetch some cake, and Bulma found herself alone with the two men.

"Thank you again Mr. Ouji for allowing me to stay," she smiled, "I wasn't aware that Vegeta didn't inform you that I was coming along."

When the man simply grunted in response, Bulma frowned. Hearing Vegeta chuckle, she sent him a death glare and sipped her tea.

"So Vegeta, I ran into Clarissa the other day," The man began, "Such a good woman, and from a _distinguished_ family too."

Vegeta frowned, "Father, she slept with half the male population of my high school. I assure you, the family honor wasn't inherited."

Entering the room, Mrs. Oiji smiled, "The cake will be here momentarily."

"So what is your major Bulma?" His mother began, conversationally.

"Aerospace Engineering," She replied, a haughty smile lacing her glossed lips.

His father quirked a brow, "Engineering?"

Bulma nodded, "Yes, my father's an engineer and I've always wanted to follow in his footsteps."

He frowned, "Vegeta's a business major and-"

"Yes old man, she's well aware of my major." Vegeta interrupted.

The cake was brought in and Mrs. Oijie served it and as the conversation continued, his parents continued to give Bulma a cold shoulder. It was Vegeta, however, that they hounded the hardest. He didn't seem effected by they way they criticized his study habits, manners, and his debauched ways. Apparently it was his history with lewd women that had her at a disadvantage with his parents.

Tucking a lock of straight blue hair behind her ears, Bulma stood up and neatly pressed her dress against her knees.

"Can I help you clear the table Mrs. Oijie?"

"No thank you, Vegeta will help me." She said, eyeing her son.

When the pair had left the room, Bulma's eyes wandered to row of plaques and photos lining the wall. Noticing that the pictures were of Mr. Oijie shaking hands with various men, Bulma eyed them curiously. Business associates, perhaps?

Then a grin lit up her features. This day was about to get _very _interesting. In one of the photos was Mr. Oijie in a designer suit shaking hands with a man with pale-blue hair and round glasses.

"Mr. Oijie, I was unaware that you were acquainted with my father."

The older man looked up at the sound of the young girl's voice and blinked, "Your father."

"Yes," She pointed at the picture she was studying.

"Dr. Briefs is your father?"

When she nodded, a grin encompassed his features.

"You don't say, Bulma Briefs."

"I told you I was following in the footsteps of him," she said with a polite smile, "Perhaps one day when I'm in charge of CC and Vegeta is running Oijie enterprise you can put a picture of the two of us shaking hands."

"Yes," He said, almost absently, with a nod, "I will have to give your father a call and let him know that you're dating my son."

Bulma smiled, "Yes. I'm sure he'd be very pleased to hear that."

And when he returned her smile with a doting look in his dark eyes, Bulma knew that she had successfully won over Vegeta's parents.

* * *

Placing her arm on his shoulder, she briefly imagined that they were like the other couples filing into the theatre around them.

When he offered to buy her popcorn she smiled shyly, wondering what it would be like to date someone like him. What was so hard to think about anyway? Tien was sweet, smart, good looking, he played on the football team, and he was her … oh. Launch frowned as he paid for their popcorn, he was her friend.

With her dating record she didn't want to risk their friendship. However, she also knew that she couldn't stand seeing him go out on another date. No. That would drive her insane with jealousy, she was woman enough to admit that. So, when he handed her the large bucket with a grin, she returned the friendly smile and decided that this would be the way they would have to stay.

Just friends.

She just wished that _just _didn't sound so bad.

"Hey!" Tien suddenly called, waving towards the entrance.

Launch glanced up to find Krillin, Juu, and pretty girl with dirty-blonde hair.

While Tien and Krillin exchanged a handshake you had to have Y chromosome to understand, Launch greeted Juu and Kira politely. After the handshake, Krillin pulled his girlfriend into the line and Juu let out a growl.

"Woa babe, what?" Launch questioned.

"When Krillin invited me to a movie I didn't realize that I had signed up to be a third wheel." She glared at the pair, "What movie are you two going to see?"

"The new Jet Li movie," Tien answered quickly, quite terrified of the fuming blonde at the moment.

She growled again, "God. Well, we're sitting together. I would much rather be a fifth wheel than have to deal with Krillin and Kira," she shuddered, "alone."

Launch opened her mouth to protest, but then sighed, "Alright."

When Krillin and his girlfriend exited the line with a large drink and a bucket full of popcorn, the five made their way into the theatre, and Launch tried to shove all thoughts away about what would be her fantasy pretend-date.

--

The sound of two voices mingled, one was of rough laughter, the other a charming feminine giggle.

Vegeta's father smiled fondly at the beautiful blue haired girl before him as she continued to laugh, "Yes. You are a very clever girl Bulma."

The door opened and Mrs. Oijie and Vegeta entered, both with quirked brows at the laughing pair before them.

"Ah, dear," Mr. Oijie said, his smile never faltering, "Vegeta sure has brought home a keeper this time."

"Oh?" The woman questioned curiously, "That's nice dear."

"I'm very serious," He continued, "She's very smart and beautiful _and _she comes from a respectable family."

Bulma grinned as Vegeta studied her with a blank look. His father continued to praise his 'girlfriend' as he took a seat beside her, "What did you _do_ woman?"

Bulma chuckled softly at his gruff whisper, "I told you Vegeta, parents love me."

"Mr. Oijie, your family didn't happen to be at the Cullen's picnic last fall? I could have sworn my father said everyone from the '97 merge was there."

Mrs. Oijie's eyes widened and Mr. Oijie nodded, "Yes. We were there. I'm going to have to invite your father over soon. It's been a long time."

Vegeta's dark eyes studied her and she sent him a haughty smile, "Yes. I'm sure he would enjoy that."

* * *

It was dark and Launch and Juu walked across campus. Krillin had driven his girlfriend who lived off campus home and Juu quickly volunteered to ride with Launch, earning her a glare which she quickly returned.

"Seriously," Launch said, eyeing her friend, "You should just tell Krillin how you feel."

"What?" Juu snapped, glancing over at the petite girl as if she had just realized she was there.

"You _know _what I'm talking about." She continued with a playful grin.

"No." Juu said defensively crossed her arms across her chest.

"Well, I do. Really, you should tell him how you feel."

"Hm." Juu said, sending her a peripheral glare, "Maybe you should do the same."

With a confused blink, Launch turned to face the front in stunned silence.

* * *

I actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter!

Hope you enjoyed it! The next chapter should be out shortly - don't forget to review!

-C

* * *


End file.
